Dark Side of the Moon
by LoveableTurtle
Summary: Ally hates Austin Moon, resident Bad Boy of Miami High. But when she has to tutor him, things start to get confusing...throw a jerky ex-boyfriend into the mix and things really start to get interesting...
1. The Two Things Ally Dawson Hates

**Hello peoples! I am going on holiday tomorrow for six whole weeks! Eeep!**

** I was planning to write as much as I could of this story while I was gone, since I won't have internet most of the time, and then start uploading it when I got back. But I just couldn't resist uploading this first chapter now! **

**I would really love some feedback to tell me if I should continue with the story or not...I probably will anyway, but feedback would still be great! **

**And any ideas you have for later in the story would be amazing too, since I have only written a bit of it :) **

**I hope you like it and please review! **

**P.S. The rest of teh chapters will be longer than this, probably just under 3,000 words while this one is only just under 2,000 words xx This is more of a prologue, I guess. Hope you enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :( But Christmas is coming...*hint hint* :P**

Chapter 1

There are two things I hate. Obviously, there are lots and lots of things that I dislike. But there are only two things in the world that I honest to God cannot stand. The first is suffering of any kind. I just can't stand to see anyone hurting. I just hate it.

The second thing is actually a someone….a someone named Austin Moon. My lab partner at Miami High. The guy I sit next to in almost every lesson, because all the teachers seem to think that sitting next to the geekiest geek of all time will make him get better grades…as if. He doesn't even bother to copy me. He just sits there and texts all lesson. I would probably hate him less if he actually attempted to work, even if he was just copying me. But he doesn't even seem to care. Yet when it came to the important exams…he was top of the class. Every time. At first the teachers had all thought he was cheating, but couldn't prove it. I am still sure of it…how can he get higher than me? I work my ass off, day in day out, to get the high grades I do. Then he came along, did absolutely nothing, and does better than me!

And he never even speaks to me! I mean, a few times he has grunted a 'sorry' if he knocks me, or a thanks if I pass him something, but even when I ask him if he wants help, or if he's okay, he just grunts and ignores me. I usually just ignore him right back now.

And then the other day he had the nerve to call me a geek and laugh at me, along with all his stupid, stuck up friends. I was in the park, walking Einstein, (my dog), and I just happened to see him and a few other people sat on a bench. I stopped, surprised. I had never seen him outside of school before, let alone with anyone else. They all looked like stereotypical Bad Guys. Leather jackets, torn jeans, sunglasses, cigarettes. And every single one of them looked movie-star gorgeous. I mean, that's one thing I can't deny. As much as I hate Austin, he's probably the most gorgeous guy I have ever seen.

Anyway, I stared at them for a second, before turning away quickly when Austin looked at me. I kept walking past them with my head down, hoping they wouldn't say anything, but I heard Austin laugh.

"Hey guys, look. It's that geek I was telling you about, the one I always have to sit by. She's supposed to be 'rubbing off on me'." He scoffed. I felt myself blush even harder, but didn't look up.

"I wouldn't mind her 'rubbing off' on me, if you get me…" one of the guys replied suggestively. I felt like I would keel over and die of embarrassment.

"Nah, she wouldn't touch you man. 40-year-old virgin." Austin told him, and I heard laughs and a high-five before I sped up, practically running away from them all.

So, as you can imagine, now that I am starting my senior year, I want nothing more than to start afresh and to never have to talk to or even see that guy again. But, of course, dreams never do come true. I decided to sign up for tutoring, to boost my extra credit. And, of course, who do I get assigned to tutor? None other than the one and only Austin Moon.

"What? But miss, he gets better grades than me!" I whined to Miss Danning, not caring if it made me look like a whiny brat.

"Yes, you're right, he does. In finals, and any other exams. But the work he does, or doesn't do, in class and on homework means that unless he got 100% on every exam he does from now on, he will flunk out. That's how the grading system works, I'm afraid." She explained calmly.

"So? Let him flunk! He is perfectly capable of doing the work. They guy is a genius! He just doesn't want to. There's nothing I can do to make him work; tutoring him would be a waste of time. Please let me tutor someone I can actually help?" I begged her.

"Look, Miss Dawson, I think we all know that you would be perfectly capable of tutoring any person in this school. But Austin Moon…he's different. This would be more like therapy than tutoring, to be honest. But you are the only one who stands a chance of helping this boy, Ally."

"Helping him? He doesn't want or need my help. It's his own fault he's flunking. He could do it, but he won't. Besides, he hates me. He wouldn't even turn up! And I signed up for tutoring, not therapy!" I complained. I knew, deep down, that she was right. And if this was anyone else, I would have already said yes. But this was Austin Moon. The guy I hate more than anyone else in the world. There was just no way.

"Come on Ally. Challenge yourself. I mean, if you fail, you fail. But wouldn't you rather know that you at least attempted an almost impossible task? Even agreeing to try to help Austin is more impressive than tutoring the entire school, Ally. You have to at least give it a try. If you really can't take it, you can always change your mind." She insisted. I knew she would be disappointed in me if I didn't. Hell, I hate to admit it, but I would be disappointed in me. But I still had my doubts.

"Even if I do agree to this, I hope you realise that there is a ninety nine point nine percent chance I will fail?" I warned her. She nodded, breaking out into a huge grin.

"Yes, I know. But there is still a nought point one percent chance that you can do it. And I believe that, with you, nought point one percent is enough." She said encouragingly. I sighed. I knew it was a bad idea. I knew it. But some part of me agreed with Miss Danning; if anyone could do it, I could.

"Fine. I'll do it. On one condition." I said. She squealed loudly, clapping her hands, before turning serious.

"What condition?"

"I can back out anytime I want. And I don't have to sit next to him in class anymore." I said. She smiled, nodding.

"Of course. In fact, I may be able to pull some strings and get you seated next to your friend, what's her name…Tish?" she said. I smiled.

"Trish. Really, you could do that? Great! Thank you so much!" I cried excitedly. She just laughed, smiling.

"Don't thank me. I should be thanking you. Hopefully, with your help, Austin Moon will be out of this place for good in a year's time." She said, sounding relieved. I smiled.

"Aha, now I get it. You only wanted me to do this so that you could get rid of him." I said, laughing. She shook her head, and then stopped.

"Well, that's part of it. A big part of it. But contrary to popular belief, most teachers do care about their students. Even the troubled ones, like Austin. I want him to graduate, and I want him to go to college. I want him to do all of the things a boy with his talent should be able to do, and I don't want to see him stuck in high school for another year. Not when he is capable of such great things." She said honestly. I had never admired a teacher as much as I admired her in that moment. Most teachers would hate Austin, but not Miss Danning. She always saw the good in people. No matter how much bad there may be hiding that good.

"Okay miss. I promise to try my best. But I'm not going to lie; I really don't like the guy. At all."

"And I can't blame you. But I really am very grateful to you for doing this. And he will be too. Eventually. You'll see." She smiled. I nodded, mostly because I sincerely doubted it but I was a terrible liar. I arrived at my first lesson a few minutes before the bell went, surprised to see that there were others in the classroom already. Usually everybody waited until just before the bell to arrive at lessons. People were never early.

"Hey Trish. What's going on? Why is everyone in here?" I asked her.

"There's a new guy in school. Everyone wants to meet him."

"Really? A new guy? Who?" I asked eagerly. I had always loved it when new kids started. They were always so much more interesting than everyone else in the school. Well, at least for a couple of weeks. Then they get boring; become just another face in the crowd. Nonetheless, I was quick to head over to the cluster of bodies in the corner.

"What's his name?" I asked Trish in a hushed tone.

"Dallas." She replied. I froze, shocked.

"D-D-Dallas what?" I asked her. She looked at me, frowning, and shrugged.

"Why does it matter?" she asked cynically. I shook it off, thinking it couldn't be the same guy.

"Never mind. Come on, let's sit down. I can't be bothered right now." I sighed, taking a seat at the other side of the classroom. I knew I would probably be moved into a seating plan, but for now I just wanted to stay away from the crowd. Suddenly I was feeling faint and a little bit sick.

"Ally? Are you okay?" Trish asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just stressed. I…erm…I found out who I'm tutoring. You'll never guess who it is." I said, trying to distract her with a change of subject. It worked.

"Ah, who?" she asked excitedly. I smiled sadly.

"Austin." I sighed. Her expression went from excited to pitiful.

"Aw, Ally, can't you say no?" she said, knowing how much I would hate this. I smiled, shaking my head sadly.

"Already tried that. Miss Danning guilted me into it." I shrugged in a 'what can you do?' gesture.

"Ah well. Maybe it won't be so bad…" she tried. I smiled gratefully.

"Thanks for trying Trish, but I seriously doubt it." I replied. She shrugged, and we both had to shut up and listen as the teacher walked in.

"Okay class, since you're all seniors now, I figured it was only fair to give you all a little trust and let you sit where you'd like to. But, please, can I have everyone sat in seats?" Mr Dean asked, looking pointedly at the group of people hovering around the new guy. They slowly dispersed, and finally I could see his face. And I wish I never had. Looking away from him quickly, I buried my head in my hands, trying to hold back the tears. But it didn't work, and I felt Trish put her hand on my shoulder as I shook with sobs.

"Ally? Ally what's wrong?" she asked urgently. I couldn't speak through the tears.

"Miss Rodriguez, Miss Dawson, is there anything wrong?" Mr Dean asked. Trish stood up, pulling me with her. I wanted nothing more than to disappear into the ground right then, but of course that wasn't going to happen.

"Can we please be excused?" she asked. Sir nodded, his eyes widening as he saw the state of me. Trish hurriedly lead me out of the classroom and down the hall. When we got to the bathrooms she started cleaning me up. Once my sobs were under control again, she looked me in the eyes seriously.

"Okay, Ally, what's wrong?" she asked me.

"That's Dallas Jones. The guy I lost my virginity too over the summer." I whispered.

**Ooooohh...please review! :D Reviews are my money :) 3**


	2. Austin and Ally's First Tutoring Session

**Hey guys! Thank you all so much for the reviews! It actually amazes me how many I have had for the first chapter, considering it was just a taster...I hope this is a good omen for the future of the story! :)**

** As promised, this chapter is quite a lot longer than the first, so I hope you like it...but please let me know if you think it's too long at all xx :D**

** Thanks for reading and please feel free to give any constructive criticism or ideas for the story, and please review! I love to know how you feel about it! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :'( so sad. *sighs* **

Chapter 2

So, I guess you could say I was having a lousy start to the school year. I had to tutor the guy I hated most in the world, and now the guy I hated second most in the world had joined our school. And worse, he was probably going to be the most popular guy in school. Dallas is a stereotypical jock; tall, strong, smart, a great player, and gorgeous. Like, movie-star gorgeous. Maybe not quite as gorgeous as Austin, but still. I had met him over the summer, while I was staying with my aunt and uncle in New York. I ran into him and a group of friends outside Tiffany's. One of the girls said something snide, and I replied. They must have thought it was a good comeback as they all laughed and started talking to me. One thing led to another and I spent the rest of my holiday partying with them. I'm not sure what happened to me that summer, but I definitely wasn't acting like the goody-two-shoes geek I am.

After a while, Dallas asked me out. I agreed, mostly because I, like every other girl that knew him, was in love with the guy he pretended to be. Sweet, caring and totally gorgeous. We dated for a while, and all that time he was the perfect boyfriend. Constantly calling me and texting me, always choosing me over his friends, saying he loved me constantly. In fact, I should have suspected something-he seemed almost too perfect. But I was so loved up that I didn't suspect anything. And then one night…he finally managed to convince me to drink more than one glass of coke and vodka. I wasn't completely drunk, but I was under the influence enough to make some decisions that I seriously regretted. And, long story short, I woke up the next morning missing two things; my clothes, and my virginity.

I was worried for a while about whether I might be pregnant or something. Dallas hadn't been there when I woke up, and I had avoided him for a while. But after about three days I couldn't take it anymore and I called him. He didn't answer on the first few rings, which set of warning bells in my mind. He had always answered on the first few rings, always. No matter what.

"Hello?" he has asked, sounding out of breath and a little frustrated.

"Hey Dallas. It's Ally." I said nervously. I heard a sigh.

"What do you want?" he asked sharply.

"I…erm…look, I'm sorry I've been avoiding you, and I get if you're angry, but I really need to talk to you. Face to face." I said. He scoffed.

"Als, I really don't care about you avoiding me. I'm not angry. But you might as well say what you have to say now."

"Why? If you're not angry, why don't we just pick up where we left off?" I asked him.

"Because I never really loved you, Als. I thought you would have got that by now, since you're so smart and all. I just wanted one thing-and you gave it to me. Thanks for that, by the way. It was…I had a good night. And yes, I used a condom. I'm not stupid." He said. I couldn't speak. The tears were spilling down my face, but I couldn't say a word. All I could do was sit there, staring into space.

"Hello? Ally? Als?" he said. Then I heard a sigh, and he hung up. That was the first time I had ever been truly heartbroken. And I hoped to God it would be the last. I went home the next day. I couldn't stand to be in the same city as him anymore. I tried to act as normal as possible, and no-one had expected a thing. But then, of course, Dallas has to turn up at Miami High and ruin everything.

It was all this I told Trish, condensed down into a two-minute explanation, and promised to tell her more that night after school. She rubbed my back comfortingly while I cried, and wrapped her arm around me as we walked back to the lesson. Even after all that, we had only missed ten minutes. We walked in, all eyes on us, as I walked over with my head down to take my seat. Trish explained to the teacher, who luckily accepted her explanation without comment. She sat next to me, not saying a word, knowing I wouldn't be in the mood to talk.

Nothing happened all lesson, and thank God I had no other lessons with Dallas that day. I sighed in relief as the final bell went to signal the end of the school day. For the first time in, well, ever, I was first out of the classroom. Unfortunately, that meant that I bumped straight into Miss Danning.

"Ally! There you are! I was looking for you at lunchtime. I forgot to tell you, you're scheduled to begin your tutoring sessions with Austin today. As in, now." She said, an apologetic look on her face. I opened my mouth, ready to tell her there was no way, but I stopped myself. If I said no, went back on my word, I would be letting Dallas change me. And I would not let him change me.

"Well I'll have to call my dad, but that should be fine." I smiled at her. Trish walked out of the classroom then, just in time to hear me say that.

"What should be fine?" she asked me.

"My first tutoring session is right now." I said to her, trying to sound fine for Miss Danning's sake, but Trish could see I was screaming inside.

"Oh. Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked me. I shook my head, but sighed.

"Nope. But I made a commitment, so I'm going to honour it." I said, pulling my phone out of my pocket to call my dad.

"Hey Ally, honey. What's up?" he asked me.

"I have a tutoring session tonight, so I won't be home until late. Is that okay?" I asked him.

"That's fine. I'm assuming you're going to be the tutor, right?" he asked.

"Yup. I'll see you later dad. Love you."

"Love you too Ally. See you." He said, hanging up. I sighed; I was half hoping he would say no, since it's such short notice.

"He says its fine. I guess I'll see you tomorrow Trish." I sighed, feeling my heart start beating faster, like it always did when I was nervous about something. And I had probably never been more nervous than I was right now.

"Bye Ally. Call me if you need to talk." She said, hugging me quickly. I turned to Miss Danning once she had left.

"Where do I need to go?" I asked her.

"My classroom. Austin should be waiting there. If he's not there, give him ten minutes. If he hasn't shown up in that time, just go home." She said. I rolled my eyes as I nodded.

I made my way to her room silently, ignoring the constant buzzing of my phone. I knew it would all be Trish; no-one else ever texted me. I crossed my fingers and my toes all the way to the classroom, hoping to God that he wouldn't show up. Obviously, God had it in for me, since when I walked in there Austin was sat on the desk, scowling at me.

"_You're _my tutor? Couldn't they have at least picked someone with a brain?" he scoffed cruelly. Usually I would have just rolled my eyes, maybe blushed, and ignored him. But I was just in such a shitty mood, I couldn't help myself.

"Why don't you just shut the fuck up and let me get this stupid tutoring business done with so I can go home? I'm really not in the mood to be messed with, so please let me get on with this shit." I yelled at him, so glad that school was over and there were only a few teachers left in the building. Austin stared at me, wide eyed. I was shocked too, in all fairness. I never swore like that.

"Okay. Fine. Whatever." He said, trying to hide his confusion.

"So…okay, there's nothing I need to teach you, since you're some sort of genius who knows everything but can't be arsed to do any work. I've been told that this is more of a 'counselling' thing, where I have to do what I can to convince you to work hard. I s'pose you couldn't just make both our lives easier and randomly turn over a new leaf so we can be done with this?" I asked him hopefully. He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"I don't think so. The only reason I came to this stupid thing was because I was told I was being tutored by a girl, and I was hoping she would be a hot girl I could have a little fun with. But it's you, so there's no chance of any of that. So, I guess we're done here." He said, making a move for the door. I put my arm out, stopping him, and glared at him.

"Trust me, I probably want to be here even less than you do right now. But I made a commitment, and I plan to honour it. So sit the fuck down and let's get on with this." I said, calmly and coolly, surprising even myself by keeping eye contact the entire time. He stood there for a moment, glaring right back at me, and it was then that I realised how close we were. My arm was against his chest, stopping him from going past, and we were shoulder to shoulder. He was taller than me, so I was looking up at him, but all he had to do was bend down slightly, and we would be-I shuddered at the thought, breaking eye contact and stepping away from him. Then I dropped down onto a seat and lay my head in my hands.

Thinking that Austin was gone, I let a few tears escape. I heard a sigh and looked up quickly, surprised.

"You're still here?" I squeaked, wiping my eyes in a vain attempt to hide the fact that I had been crying.

"Apparently."

"Why? I moved out of your way. I figured you would have left."

"Well, I didn't. Why are you crying?" he asked me bluntly. I smiled wryly; obviously he didn't have much experience with crying girls. It didn't surprise me.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I-erm…I dunno." He said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. I rolled my eyes.

"Look, seriously, I'm fine. You can leave." I said, standing up and grabbing my book bag. I heard the door open, then close again quickly. I looked at him, confused.

"Let's do this thing. The quicker we get on with it, the quicker we can go home." He sighed, sauntering over to sit on the desk I had been sat at a few seconds ago.

"Look, Austin, its fine. Just leave. I'll tell Miss Danning that things just wouldn't work out. She'll understand." I said, moving towards the door. This time it was him that stopped me, by grabbing my wrist.

"No. Like you said, you made a commitment to try to help me. As helpless as it is, I respect that. I'm not going to repay you by refusing to cooperate and forcing you to let someone down. Besides, I made a commitment too." He sighed.

"When did you ever make a commitment?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"I said I would do these stupid tutoring sessions. True, I had ulterior motives, but I still made that commitment. So, I guess you're tutoring me. I'm not promising it will work though." I was surprised. The most I had ever gotten out of him speech-wise was a sentence at a time. Usually it wasn't just monosyllables. Unless he was taking the piss out of me, of course.

"Okay. So, erm…what do you want to do first?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"Whatever. I know it all anyway. Although, we still have an hour and a half left. You might want to sit down." He said, gesturing towards the chair next to the desk he was sat on. I decided that that was too close to him, so I pulled it away a little, or a lot, and took a seat. He rolled his eyes, laughing to himself.

"What's so funny?" I asked him.

"You are. You don't have to be scared of me; I don't bite. Usually." He grinned, raising his eyebrows suggestively. I rolled my eyes at his attempt at humour.

"Whatever. And I'm not scared of you, by the way." I said. It was true; I wasn't scared of him. I just really didn't like him.

"Sure you aren't." he said sarcastically. I raised my eyebrows.

"I'm not." I insisted.

"So you won't mind if I do this, then." He said, reaching out to grab the seat of the chair I was sat on and dragging it across the floor towards him. I screeched, slapping his hand away. He laughed.

"What are you doing?" I squealed, jumping out of the chair.

"See, you are scared of me." He said, laughing. I tried to glare at him, but couldn't resist smiling a little.

"I'm not scared…you just surprised me, that's all." I said. He chuckled to himself.

"Prove it. Sit down." He said, motioning towards the chair that was now practically tucked underneath the table he was sat on. We would be practically touching if I sat down. But I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of thinking I was afraid of him. So I sat down and grabbed a book out of my bag.

"Okay, let's get on with this." I said, opening the book. He leant over to look at the pages, bringing his face that much closer to mine. I jumped slightly, but other than that I just ignored him. I was quite proud of myself. We spent the next hour doing algebra, and you know what? It actually wasn't that bad. I mean sure, everything he said was obnoxious, and the way he kept 'accidentally' brushing up against me to try get a reaction out of me was annoying. Not to mention the fact that he managed to make crude jokes about absolutely everything I said. I'm not saying I like him now or anything; I still hate him with a passion, and I dread the next session, whenever it is. But it was slightly less dreadful than I was expecting.

"Thanks for playing along. I'm glad you've decided to honour your commitment. Hey, maybe that's the first step in turning over a new leaf?" I asked him hopefully. He shook his head, smiling dryly.

"I doubt it. I just felt bad for you. And I can't promise I'll turn up next time. But, I'll give you one thing…maybe you're possibly not quite as terribly boring and lame as I thought you were. You're still incredibly boring and lame, but possibly not as much so as I thought." He said. I laughed.

"From you, I'll take that as a compliment." I said. He laughed.

"So you should." He said, and without another word he left the room. As soon as he was gone I picked up my phone to text Trish. I saw that I had eleven messages and seven missed calls. All from Trish, as expected.

_**Are you okay?**_

_**Did you know it was tonight?**_

_**Don't let him get to you.**_

_**He's just a stupid guy, don't let him make you feel like shit.**_

_**You don't even have to do this, just tell miss D you don't want to. It's no big deal.**_

_**Please answer me else I'm calling the police.**_

_**If Austin frikking Moon has murdered you I am going to kill him…**_

_**Did that not make you laugh?**_

_**Please reply Ally I'm serious about calling the police…**_

_**Okay maybe I'm not serious about that but please please please please reply! **_

_**I'll miss you. I'll go to your funeral, I promise. Should I wear the black leopard print leggings with the bright yellow shirt or tone it down a bit and wear the plain black leggings with the pink and black spotty shirt?**_

I laughed. Trish really made me laugh sometimes. I sent her a quick text back.

_**Don't worry, I'm alive. Just about. Nahh, actually it weren't totally horrible… joking, it was torture, but I got out with my sanity intact. I think :/ see you in school tomorrow. **_

I spent the night crying into my pillow. But for once, it wasn't because of Austin Moon…

**Please review! :D**


	3. Dallas and Ally's First Confrontation

**Sorry about the wait guys...I hope you like the chapter! Good things come to those who wait and everything...**

**I kind of have a problem with my writing...I seem to drag it out so that over five or six chapters I have covered about two days. I really need to work on that, and it looks as if the first few chapters of this are going that way...but I am really trying to sort it out, and any advice you might have would be really helpful and greatly appreciated! :D**

**Please review and feel free to leave any constructive criticism, or even just something you don't like about the story so I can try to set it right or just keep it in mind in the future...thank you! 3**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :'(**

Chapter 3

I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to handle school the next morning. I got there super early, thinking that there was no way any other student would be there that early. I hoped I would be able to wait around for Trish and then ask her where Dallas's lessons were today. For some reason, she always seemed to know these kinds of things…

Anyway, I got there and went straight to the library. Unfortunately, he was in there. As soon as I caught sight of him I froze. He was looking away from me, talking animatedly with the librarian, so I tried to slowly turn around and leave without anyone seeing me. No such luck.

"Ally! Nice to see you here so early! Dallas and I were just discussing his idea for a new filing system-he wants to put all the records on computer! Isn't that just genius?" she exclaimed excitedly. I turned around slowly and smiled at her, trying to ignore Dallas's wide eyes. He obviously hadn't realised who I was yesterday, but he definitely figured it out now.

"Sounds great. If you don't mind, there's somewhere I have to be…" I said, making a move towards the door.

"Actually, could you do me a favour? Dallas came in here originally to ask me where room twenty-four is. Would you mind showing him the way for me?" I froze, feeling my heart stop beating for a moment. Me alone with Dallas? This was like my worst nightmare come true. I was tempted to pinch myself, but I knew it wasn't a dream. I was pretty sure I could never dream up a horror like this. Nevertheless, I gulped and nodded, leaving the library quickly, assuming he would follow me. Which he did, and for most of the way he stayed quite far behind me. I was lucky-there were other people in the corridor. Not many, but enough that we were never completely alone together. But as we turned the last corner that led to room twenty-four, I felt him grab my wrist and turn me around to face him.

"Argh!" I squealed, trying to pull my hand back. He refused to let go, instead just looking me up and down, eyes hungry and desperate.

"Ally Dawson. Who would have thought I would end up in the same school as you? It really is a small world…" he mused. I struggled against his tight hold, fighting back tears of fright and pain.

"Let go of me Dallas." I said. He smiled.

"Aw come on Ally. Don't you want to catch up?" he asked me. I shook my head furiously.

"Nope. I just want to get away from you." I snarled.

"Look, I'm sorry if I hurt you. But come on, you have to admit…it was good while it lasted." He said, eyebrows raised suggestively. I made a gagging sound and finally managed to yank my wrist free.

"Fuck off Dallas." I snarled.

"Ouch." He said, looking genuinely offended. I just rolled my eyes and stalked off down the corridor. I turned back to look at him just as I turned the corner, and the look of pure fury in his eyes scared me so much that I broke into a run as soon as I was out of his sight.

Eventually the bell for lunch rang. I hadn't had any lessons with Dallas, but I had still been on edge all day so far. I threw everything back into my bag and slung it over my shoulder, following Trish out of the classroom and into the cafeteria. Apparently, Miss Danning hadn't yet sorted out a way for Trish and I to sit together in every lesson, so we were stuck with texting as our only form of communication during lessons. Well, she texted me. I didn't reply. Usually…

"Okay, Ally, time to spill. Tell me everything about what happened last night with Austin!" she squealed. My eyes widened, and I stared at her, horrified.

"What do you think happened between me and Austin? And please don't say 'last night'…it sounds so much more…ew. It was just 'yesterday', okay?" I said, shuddering. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on! As if you spent a whole two hours after school with the hottest guy in school and nothing happened." She said. I snorted with laughter.

"Seriously, Trish? As if. You know how much I hate the guy. And anyway, even if I didn't, you really think he would want anything to do with me?" I asked her, rolling my eyes.

"Erm, yes? Ally, have you looked in a mirror lately? You're hot! And Austin is hot. With a capital H. Of course I'm going to assume something happened." She said, rolling her eyes as if it was obvious. I laughed.

"As if. Firstly, as if a guy like Austin would ever like a girl like me. Secondly, I am not hot. And thirdly, nothing is ever going to happen between us, Trish. We're just too…different." I sighed, turning away from her and taking a seat on the grass outside the school. She flopped down next to me.

"Whatever. Are you trying to tell me you don't find him the slightest bit attractive?" she asked me seriously.

"Well…" I started, and she clapped her hands, jumping up excitedly.

"I knew it! I knew you liked him!" she squealed.

"Whoa, whoa Trish! Calm down! I never said I like him! I just said I thought he was attractive. Lots of guys are…doesn't mean I like them. And you know how much I hate him."

"Sure, whatever." She sighed, but I knew that wasn't the end of the argument.

"Just eat your lunch." I sighed. I had been told to go see Miss Danning about halfway through lunch, so I asked Trish to come with me.

"Do I have to?" she groaned. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, no, but its either come with me or sit here alone for the rest of lunch…" I said.

"I do have friends other than you, you know." She said angrily. I chuckled.

"Like who?" I asked her. She looked around for a minute, and then sighed, getting to her feet.

"Fine, I'll come with you. Because I am such a good friend…" she said. I laughed and we started walking into school to find Miss Danning. Luckily, she was in her office.

"Ally! Glad you're here! Just wanted to speak to you about the tutoring thing with Mr Moon, if that's okay?" she said, smiling warmly. I inwardly groaned, but smiled at her as I nodded.

"Okay, well, are there any days that wouldn't be okay with you?" she asked me. I shrugged.

"I don't really do anything outside of school. I mean, if I do have plans I may have to cancel a couple of sessions but that won't happen often…" I said honestly. Miss Danning smiled sympathetically.

"Oh, okay then. Are there any days you would prefer?"

"Nah, not really. Whenever." I said, wanting to finish and get out of there as soon as possible. I knew Trish was going to take the piss even worse after this.

"Well, usually we would arrange a once a week schedule, but since this is a 'special' case….how about Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays?" she asked. My eyes widened.

"That often? Really?" I asked, shocked. I figured this would only be once or twice a week.

"Well, I suppose it doesn't have to be, but you never know how long this could take and I figured you might want to get it over as soon as possible?" she said. I sighed, knowing she was going to guilt me into this just as easily as she guilted me into tutoring Austin in the first place.

"Okay, fine, whatever. So I'll come here tomorrow and Friday after school?" I asked, resigned. She grinned, nodding.

"Perfect. I'll see you later Ally. And you Trish." She said happily, and we took that as our cue to leave. Once we were outside the classroom, Trish turned to me and squealed.

"Eeep! Even more one-on-one time for you and Austin!" she giggled. I rolled my eyes, turning to walk away. She was starting to piss me off.

"Aw, come on Ally! You know I'm only messing!" she moaned, chasing after me. I stopped and whirled around angrily.

"For fucks sake, Trish! Seriously, this is getting old. I do not like Austin. At all. Yes, he's hot. Really hot. But he would never like me like that, and I hate him too much to ever like him like that! Sheesh! Get over this already! Its starting to seem like_ you _like Austin!" I yelled. There was nobody around, thank God.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, its just because you two would be such a great couple! And you have to admit, there must be some attraction." She said.

"No, there isn't!" I shouted.

"Well, it looks like there is. Every time you two are near each other, there's, like, this tension around you…it's obvious. Everyone notices. That's why none of the other girls like you much, Als…they're jealous." She explained. I felt my anger disappear; replaced by confusion and some other, strange feeling I couldn't understand.

"I….we…there is no attraction, okay? We hate each other! You know how much I hate him, and remember what I told you about? What happened on the park that time? Obviously he hates me back. So please, just drop this, okay? Any tension you sense between us is because we hate each other. Got it?"

"Got it." She sighed, hating to admit defeat but knowing when things had gone too far.

"Good. So, you want to go somewhere for the rest of lunch?" I asked her. She checked her watch and shook her head.

"No point. We have five minutes, let's just go to maths." She said. When we got there, there was only one person in there; Dallas. Trish looked over at me worriedly, but I shook my head and walked inside. Dallas looked up at us and smirked, watching us as we walked to the back of the room.

"Ally…I see your ass is as great as ever." He said, grinning cockily. I looked down, embarrassed, before looking up again when I heard him shout 'ouch'.

"What happened?" I asked, looking from him to Trish.

"I'm not sure…a random flying pen just hit him in the eye…" she said, faking shock and horror.

"Nice one." I said, laughing as I looked over at Dallas, who was rubbing his eye and scowling.

"Maybe if you had kept your eyes off her ass then this wouldn't have happened." Trish hinted. Dallas just glared at her and turned back around to face the front of the classroom.

We sat there and talked for a minute or two as the classroom started filling up. Austin walked in, catching my eye, and I smiled at him slightly. He just rolled his eyes and sat down at the front of the room. I guess things haven't changed, then. This was, surprisingly, the first lesson I had shared with him all day. I hadn't been paying much attention yesterday, but I had been today, I had assumed that things would have changed a little since the night before, but apparently not.

The rest of the day flew by, and Trish and I walked home together, talking and laughing, and for the first time since yesterday I managed to forget about Dallas and Austin. Wow, how typical, both of the guys I hate most in the world have similar names…they're both places in Texas. Kind of ironic, since my mom was from Texas.

Trish decided that, for once, she was going to get some homework done so declined my offer for her to stay for dinner. I went inside, surprised to find that my dad wasn't home, and grabbed all the ingredients for spaghetti bolognaise. Then I found a note taped to the fridge from my dad, telling me that he was going to work late and would bring a takeaway home, so I put all the ingredients back and tried to think of something to do.

Eventually I decided to take Mrs Green's dog to the park. Mrs Green is the lovely old lady that lives next door to us. She has a lovely little poodle, but she can never take him for a walk because she is too frail. So sometimes I take him out, because I feel sorry for the poor thing being cooped up all the time and I know that she feels bad about it too.

"Hello Ally! It's nice to see you! I haven't seen you for such a long time! When was the last time I spoke to you? You look so grown up!" Mrs Green smiled as she opened her front door. I smiled warmly back, deciding not to tell her that we had spoken just yesterday, when I gave her some mail that had been delivered to the wrong house.

"I'm sorry it's been so long, Mrs Green. I wondered if you wanted me to take Lulu for a walk. I have nothing else to do…" I asked her. She grinned.

"Oh, would you? She's been so miserable lately; I think some fresh air will do her some good." She said, smiling as she stepped aside to allow the little dog to run over to me. I laughed as she jumped up, tail wagging, and petted her head gently.

"Okay then, Mrs Green. I'll be back soon; do you have a leash for her?" I asked.

"Oh, yes…it's in here somewhere, I'm sure…" she sighed as she started to search the hat stand next to the door.

"Thank you. I'll see you soon." I said to her as she handed me the worn blue leash. Lulu started jumping up and down again at the sight of the leash, so I picked her up to attach it to her collar.

"See you Ally. And thanks again." She said as I walked away. I waved to her until she retreated into her house and shut the door. I sighed, feeling bad. The poor lady was all on her own, with just a little dog for company; I really should visit her more often.

Twenty minutes later I was sat on the fountain in the middle of the park, watching Lulu run around the field. I laughed as she stumbled and fell, standing up again and shaking herself off. Suddenly I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders pull me backwards. I screamed, before being completely submerged under the water. Struggling against the strong hold, I eventually managed to get my head above the water, and I sat there, coughing and spluttering, in a daze. After I had got my breath back I looked around and saw Austin sat there, soaking wet, laughing madly. I looked around, expecting his friends to be there, laughing at me along with him, but was surprised to see they were nowhere in sight.

"What the fuck, Austin?" I shouted. He just laughed harder.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist." He spluttered between giggles. I rolled my eyes, but felt some of the anger fade, since he didn't seem to have done it to embarrass me.

"Well, look at me! I'm all wet!" I cried, getting to my feet. He raised his eyebrows.

"That's not something you hear every day off someone like you…" he said suggestively. I scowled, slapping his arm angrily. Then I burst out laughing.

"You're such a guy." I complained.

"Hmm. Is that why you hate me so much?" he asked me. I froze.

"W-what makes you think that I hate you?" I asked him, blushing.

"I overheard you talking to your friend, Tish, in school." He admitted bluntly. I was shocked.

"You what? How much did you overhear?" I asked him, eyes wide. He chuckled.

"Well, I heard you say that you think I'm hot. But you don't like me, you made that part clear. Although, I have to wonder what makes you so sure I would never like you like that…I mean, you seemed pretty convinced, which is strange since we've barely even spoken to each other." He said, standing up and jumping out of the fountain. I sighed.

"I just know, okay? You're…you, and I'm…well, me. It's that simple." I explained. He laughed, although I wasn't sure if he was laughing at what I said or the fact that I was attempting to climb out of the fountain without letting my skirt ride up too much.

"Well, if that's how you feel…but, for future reference, you are pretty hot." He said, winking at me. I blushed again, looking at my feet. Just in time to see them slip on the wet marble and feel myself go flying. At least, I would have gone flying, if not for the strong pair of arms that wrapped around my waist. I gasped, scared, but then I heard Austin whisper in my ear.

"It's okay. I got you." He said. It was kind of ruined by the way he was shaking with laughter, but at least he caught me, and didn't let me fall on my face.

"Thanks." I said after he helped me stand up properly.

"No prob. Just don't expect this to be a regular thing. Next time, I'm just gonna let you fall. It'll be a hell of a lot funnier." He promised. I laughed.

"Why did you catch me this time then?" I asked him. He frowned, looking confused.

"Instinct, I guess." He shrugged, before turning and walking off. He didn't even say goodbye. Rolling my eyes at his strange behaviour, I turned around to look for Lulu.

I managed to drag her away from the rabbit she had cornered and took her back home to Mrs Green.

"Oh, thank you, Ally! I'm so glad you found her, I was so worried! Where was she?" she asked me, grabbing the poodle and kissing her, sounding relieved. I frowned, puzzled.

"I just took her for a walk, Mrs Green. You said that was fine…" I reminded her. She looked at me, frowning, and then her expression changed.

"Oh, yes, I did, didn't I? Ah, I guess my memory isn't what it used to be…Thank you for taking her out for me. She gets so lonely…" she muttered as she shut the door. I sighed, feeling terrible. She was almost ninety, the poor woman. She really belonged in a nursing home.

Sighing, I went back to my apartment to find my dad sat at the table, looking extremely angry.

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	4. Introducing the New Ally Dawson

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Chapter 4

"It's almost ten o'clock, Ally. Where have you been?" he asked, trying to sound calm and collected, but I could tell that inside he was fuming.

"I'm so sorry dad…I was walking Lulu, Mrs Green's dog, and I got, erm…side tracked. I am sorry I'm late, dad. But I'm safe, and that's all that matters, right?" I asked him hopefully.

"Wrong. I mean, I'm glad you're safe, but the point is that you should be home on time. I was so worried about you, Ally. I almost called the police." He said.

"But it's not even dark out yet! And it's not as if this is a regular thing! Can't you just let me off with a warning, just this once? It won't happen again!" I begged him. His expression softened, but he shook his head.

"I'm sorry Ally, but if I let you off just this once, you'll do it again, and then I'll let you off again, and it will all spiral into a vicious cycle and you'll end up as one of those kids that lives on the streets and gets pregnant at sixteen." He said. I rolled my eyes, but knew that I had lost this argument. When my dad was like this…

"Okay, dad, fine. What's my punishment?" I sighed.

"No after school clubs or anything for a month. I want you straight home as soon as the bell rings for the end of the day." He said. I frowned.

"But I have tutoring…you know what, never mind. Thanks dad!" I said brightly, turning to run up to my room.

"Wait! You seem happy about this…" he said suspiciously. I quickly changed my facial expression to look sad.

"No, no, I'm devastated, honestly. I love tutoring Au…I love tutoring." I grinned, knowing that if my dad knew I was tutoring Austin he would stop me. He knew about Austin and his gang, and what he knew about them didn't exactly make him love the guy. But if he thought I enjoyed tutoring, he would stop me doing it. Sadly, he didn't fall for it.

"Nice try. You're banned from any after school activity except for detentions and tutoring." He said. I laughed.

"As if I would ever get a detention." I scoffed.

"Well, after what happened tonight…I wouldn't be surprised." He said seriously. I stared at him, gobsmacked, sure that he couldn't be serious. But apparently he was.

"Aw come on dad…you know what? Never mind. I'll see you tomorrow. I'm going to bed." I said, suddenly pissed off. And with reason. I was late home one time, for the first time ever, and suddenly I'm this wild child who can't be trusted ever again! I mean, I know my dad has to live with being a single parent and all, but seriously? This is taking things a little bit too far.

"Don't you take that tone with me, young lady!" he shouted, face red. I sighed, looking him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry dad. I'm sorry that, for once, I acted like a normal teenage girl and got pissed with my dad. It won't ever happen again. Because apparently, I'm not allowed to be a normal teenager." I said calmly. His eyes widened in anger but I think he was tired because he just let it go.

"Just go to bed, Ally." He sighed, turning around to pick up his newspaper. I rolled my eyes and stomped up the stairs. Sitting on my bed, I finally realised; I had changed. It wasn't just my dad being stupid; well, he was being stupid, but that wasn't it.

A year ago I would have walked in, apologising over and over and telling him that I deserved to be punished. A year ago I probably never would have been late, because I would have never even considered socializing with Austin Moon. A year ago I would never have sort-of sworn at my dad. To be honest, a year ago I would never have sworn period. Especially the way I was swearing at Austin the day before. I don't even know where that came from, but it definitely wasn't me. Or maybe it was me…the new me. And, in all honesty, I think I like this new me better.

I tossed and turned all night long, unable to sleep a wink. It didn't help that I was cold and damp from the shower. I could have dried it, but dad was in bed and my hairdryer is really loud. So I put it in a bobble and left it to dry on its own.

When I went downstairs the next morning my dad seemed to do a double take.

"Whoa, Als, you look tired honey. Are you stressed because of your punishment? I admit it may have been a little harsh…" he said softly, smiling apologetically. I frowned, puzzled.

"Since when do you change your mind about punishing me?" I asked him.

"Well, it doesn't exactly happen often….but I realised what you said last night was true. You are a lot better behaved than the average teenager, so I should be grateful for that and not punish you for stupid things like being late home once. If it happens again…we'll see. But for now, you're un-punished." He said. I smiled, pecking him on the cheek.

"Thanks dad. But don't worry, that wasn't the reason I couldn't sleep. I'm just stressed, I guess." I sighed. He chuckled, obviously not believing me.

"Ally, you've been back at school for two days. You can't be stressed already." He laughed. I shrugged.

"I guess I just have a lot to get used to…" I sighed. He just rolled his eyes.

"Same old Ally, always stressing about everything…" he smiled, walking over to the countertop to pour himself some cereal.

I had a pop tart for breakfast then made my way up to my bedroom. Deciding to be a little adventurous with my outfit today, I went for a low cut black top Trish bought me once and some super skinny red jeans. I teamed it with a couple of chunky bracelets and a heart shaped necklace, then went to my vanity to brush my hair. I froze when I saw my face.

Dad was right; I looked shattered. I had circles under my eyes and my skin was all blotchy. I couldn't remember ever looking this bad before. Sighing, I grabbed my make-up bag. I saved my make-up for emergencies, which this was. Trying not to make myself look too orange while at the same time attempting to cover all the imperfections wasn't easy, but somehow I pulled it off. Then I decided that it looked odd without mascara and eyeliner, and then a little blusher and some lipstick. Finally happy with the way I looked, I got up. I was surprised at myself; I never usually wore anything like this to school. I wasn't sure what had gotten into me, but I could honestly say that I had never looked this good.

"Ally! What on earth do you think you are doing? Go change, now!" dad said, surprised, when he saw me. I rolled my eyes.

"Relax dad, I'm just trying something new…you're acting like I look like a hooker." I laughed. He glared at me.

"In my books, what you're wearing right now is just as bad. And what is with your face? You look…nice. Not that you don't always look nice, you just look a different kind of nice…an more grown up kind of nice." He said, confused. I laughed.

"Don't worry dad, I'll be fine. And grown up is good; I am seventeen, after all." I laughed, hurrying out the door before he could say anything more about me changing.

I met up with Trish, who did a double take when she saw me. Second person this morning. Must be a record.

"Ally? Is that you?" she asked disbelievingly. I laughed.

"Yeah. Just trying out a new look…what do you think?" I asked her, doing a little twirl as a joke.

"I love it! Is that the top I bought you? And I love those jeans! Why haven't you worn them before?" she asked. We started walking towards school.

"Yeah, it's the one you bought me. And, in case you haven't noticed, I'm usually not the type to wear skinny jeans." I said, shrugging.

"Well, you totally should be! I actually love this new look…and the make-up! For a girl who never wears it, you're pretty damn awesome at putting it on!" she exclaimed. I laughed.

"I kinda like it too. I'm not sure why I've done it though…"

"Don't even try it. I know exactly why you're doing this." She laughed. I looked at her questioningly.

"Why?"

"To impress Austin, of course. And to show Dallas what he lost." She said, grinning. I rolled my eyes.

"Actually, neither of those are strictly true…but I guess showing Dallas what he's missing wouldn't hurt. Not the Austin thing, though. I don't give a shit what Austin Moon thinks of me." I said lightly. Trish nodded.

"Of course you don't." she said sarcastically. I dropped it, not wanting to get into a fight.

"Anyway, dad got really mad at me last night." I said. She gasped.

"What? Your dad never gets mad! What did you do?" she asked.

"I took Mrs Green's dog for a walk, and was late home." I shrugged.

"Why were you late? Last time I checked it doesn't take long to walk a dog."

"Yeah but I got…side-tracked." I muttered, blushing at the memory.

"Ooh, you're blushing! Something happened…tell me tell me tell me!" she squealed. I shook my head, knowing that if I told her the teasing about Austin would never end.

"It's not important…and I was blushing because it was embarrassing. Sheesh." I laughed. She glared at me suspiciously but kept quiet. We walked the rest of the way to school in silence. For the first time in years, I was late for a class. Mostly because I had spent so long getting ready and had been late to meet Trish. Surprisingly, I didn't care. Our teacher was so surprised to see me, of all people, walk in late that she didn't give us detention, just told us to sit down. People were staring at me, shock, confusion and surprise on their faces. Usually I would have been embarrassed to have so many people staring at me, but today I just smiled and walked confidently over to my seat. Dallas wasn't there, thank God, and neither was Austin. I could have a stress-free lesson. Or so I thought.

About halfway through the lesson, while Miss Lime was working out a complicated algebra problem on the board, Austin and Dallas both sauntered in. Together. Laughing and smiling. And the first person they saw? Me. Of course. They both froze, although I'm not quite sure why Austin looked so strange…Dallas was staring at me, looking horrified, and almost a little bit jealous. I was tempted to look away, keep my head down and avoid eye contact. But Instead I met Dallas's intense gaze, smirking a little when he eventually looked away. For the first time ever, I didn't feel like Dallas was too god for me. Even while we were dating I constantly felt like I was beneath him, somehow. But not today.

Austin kept glancing between us, confused. I ignored him. I couldn't quite believe it, but they almost looked like they were…friends. This was just going to make it that much harder to stand him in these tutoring sessions. Eventually the bell rang, but I took my time packing my stuff away. I decided that I didn't need to rush to my next lesson; arriving at the same time as everyone else would be fine.

"Ally! Wait up!" I heard Austin shout from behind me. I turned, and saw pretty much everyone in the hallway turn too. Austin never really spoke to anyone, especially not to ask them to wait for him. This was a first. And I almost waited. But when I saw that he was with Dallas still I simply rolled my eyes and continued walking. There was a deathly silence in the hallway, everyone too shocked to even breathe after seeing a girl _walk away from _Austin Moon.

I heard people start whispering as I turned the corner, and even though I knew for sure they were talking about me, for the first time I wasn't embarrassed at all.

My next lesson was Spanish; easy. I could relax. I was already practically fluent in the language, thanks to the many holidays I spent there when I was younger. When my mom could still bear to look at me. Before the new baby came along.

I sat in the back of the room, alone, since Trish wasn't in this lesson. Surprisingly, even though she was Latino herself, she was clueless at the language. I was doodling on my book, in my own little world as I waited for the lesson to begin. I jumped at the sound of a chair scraping across the floor next to me. Whipping my head around, I was surprised to see Austin taking a seat next to me. I looked around, assuming that there were no empty seats.

There were only five people in the classroom. I frowned at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Why are you sitting there?" I asked him. He shrugged, looking embarrassed.

"You're the only person in this room who's at least a tiny bit bearable." He shrugged. I scoffed.

"You hate me, Austin. And I hate you. So why are you really sitting there?" I asked. He looked hurt.

"I don't hate you. And, you know, it hurts to hear you say that you hate me. It really hurts." He ruined the dramatic effect of that sentence by smiling, but it made me laugh anyway.

"Well, whatever. But seriously, why are you sitting there?" I asked him.

"For fuck's sake Ally! Can't a guy sit down without his motives being questions?" he shouted, frustrated. People started to stare.

"Nope. But you aren't just a normal guy." I said. He sighed.

"I'm sitting here because I want to sit here. I like to sit at the back and I guess I just wanted someone to talk to. If you hate me that much I guess I'll just move." He sighed, moving to get out of the seat. I grabbed his arm, sighing resignedly.

"Don't move. I wasn't asking because I want you to move. I was just surprised you would voluntarily sit next to me, that's all. I thought you hated me.

"Nah, I never hated you Ally. I just always thought you were a goody-two-shoes who wasn't up for any fun. But you've changed since last year. All these years I have sat next to you for everything, and I never once heard you swear, or even sort-of swear. Then on Monday…I guess something must have happened to you over the summer. I won't ask what, but it's obvious that you're not the same girl you used to be. Especially today. You look…"

"Completely different?" I offered. He laughed.

"That too. But I was thinking more along the lines of, well, hot." He said. I blushed, looking away.

"Thanks, I guess. But you already said you thought I was hot." I chuckled.

"Yup. And yesterday, at the park, you looked so absolutely, positively swelteringly hot I just had to pull you into the fountain to cool you down." He joked. I laughed loudly, encouraging everyone who was in the room, which was almost full by now, to look at us.

"Sorry people." I apologised, stifling a fit of giggles. Austin was laughing silently behind me.

"By the way…" he whispered, "I liked your red panties. They really went with the dress."

I shrieked, slapping his arm playfully. By now almost everyone was staring at us disbelievingly. Even I was surprised; we were acting like friends. Obviously, we weren't friends. I still didn't like him, but for some reason…I didn't quite hate him right then.

"Shut up Austin." I whispered loudly. He chuckled, looking around the room.

"You hear that people? Ally's getting all shy 'cause I-oof!" I slapped my hand across his mouth to shut him up. People were laughing at us, but they soon stopped when the teacher walked in.

"Hello class. I…do we have a new class member joining us?" Mr Thomson asked, looking at us puzzled. I looked at the seats near to us, confused, before realising he meant me.

"Oh, no sir! It's me, Ally!" I told him, slowly removing my hand from Austin's face. Austin was vibrating with silent laughter. I elbowed him, but he just laughed harder.

"Ally Dawson? Wow…okay. So, class, let's get to work." He said, looking like he was still reeling.

"Looks like you weirded out Mr Thomson, Als. Nice job." He laughed. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah. Wow…you gotta love how people don't recognise me now that I look hot. It's actually kind of…offensive." I sighed. He smiled.

"It's not because you weren't hot before. It's because you were hot in a different way." He shrugged. I smiled slightly; maybe Austin wasn't as bad as I always thought he was…

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	5. Tutoring That's not Really Tutoring

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**Please please please let me know if you think the story is going too fast or two slow or anything, I have tried my best to keep it at a reasonable pace but I wanted to emphasise how they are meant for each other so it takes a really short time to fall in love and that, btu I want it to be realistic too so any advice or ideas whould be ace. Thanks! :) **

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Chapter 5

The rest of the day went really quickly. I wasn't in any other lessons with Austin, luckily, since things were already weird enough between us two. When the last bell finally went I sighed. Now I had two hours of tutoring Austin. Hopefully things would be okay, like last week.

I said goodbye to Trish and made my way to Miss Danning's room. Once again, Austin was already there.

"So what are we doing today?" he asked me. I smiled, taking a seat and pulling out a book.

"Well…I don't know. I know how to tutor someone, but I guess this isn't actually tutoring. So I'm pretty clueless." I said, opening the book and starting to read.

"What are you reading?" he asked me. I looked up.

"A book."

"Ha-ha. What book?"

"Just a book. Sheesh, why does it even matter?" I asked him, frustrated. He shrugged.

"It doesn't…but you're supposed to be tutoring me, not reading a book."

"You don't need tutoring, you know everything."

"Yeah, but you're supposed to be at least trying to help me, you know. You're just wasting my time." He complained. I raised my eyebrows.

"Sound familiar?" I asked him. He looked puzzled.

"Huh?"

"It's your job to at least try to do the work in school. You're just wasting your teachers' time when you ignore every word they say and sit there doing nothing." I explained. He glared at me for a second before shrugging.

"Well…I see what you did there. But it's not going to work. I'm fine with sitting here doing nothing." He shrugged. I sighed.

"Okay, whatever. So…what was that about today? Did you sit next to me because I looked hot?" I asked him.

"Pretty much." He said. I had suspected it, but hearing him confirm it still hurt.

"Wow. Thanks." I said flatly, turning away from him.

"Whoa, Ally! Don't be offended…I've said it before, you looked hot anyway. It was just because…you looked so different. I wondered if you had changed personality-wise too. I wanted to see if we could be friends. I've already said this." He sighed.

"I suppose…well, what do you think?" I asked him, expecting him to say nothing had changed, that he still didn't like me.

"That maybe I misjudged you all these years." He said. I smiled, glad that he couldn't see me.

"Nah, you didn't misjudge me. I just changed a lot over the summer. In a lot of different ways." I said vaguely.

"Do those changes have something to do with Dallas?" he asked. I whirled around.

"How do you know?" I asked him accusingly. He put his hands up in a defensive gesture.

" I saw the way you looked at him earlier, when we walked in together. I asked him about it afterwards. He said, and I quote; 'we met in the summer. Messed about for a bit. No biggie.'" He explained, shrugging. I dropped my head, looking at the floor as I fought back tears. So that was what he thought about everything? He thought it was 'no biggie'? Well, fuck him.

"Wow. God…I hate that guy more than I hate you." I breathed, not realising what I had said until it was too late. I slapped my hand over my mouth.

"Wow. Thanks." He said sarcastically, moving to get up. I was worried that I had just ruined our entire sort-of possible friendship before it was even really there.

"I am so sorry! I did not mean that. I meant to say hated. As in, I used to hate you. And you hated me too, don't even try to deny it. You embarrassed me and treated me crappy enough. But I don't hate you anymore. I don't love you, obviously. In fact, I don't even think we're friends. But I swear on my life, I am over the hating you part. I hated you this morning…because you were friends with Dallas. That's the only reason." I babbled. He had sat back down, which I took as a good sign, but he still looked hurt and was shaking his head.

"Wow Ally. For a smart girl you have it all wrong. I never hated you. I liked you. As in, like like. How could you never realise that? When did you ever once hear a teacher say 'Austin, sit by Ally. She might be a good influence on you'? I just told you that was why. I chose to sit by you, because I liked you." He half-yelled, all the pent-up frustration pouring out of him. I was frozen.

"Y-you couldn't h-have liked me. I-I mean, you were always so horrible. You never said more than a few words to me at a time, and then that time at the park, when you were with your friends…I cried myself to sleep after that." I said disbelievingly. He laughed dryly.

"I only said those things because I didn't want them to know I liked you. It was mean, I know, but they were getting suspicious, thinking I liked someone, and I had to stop them from realising it was you. They never would have let me live it down. And I never spoke to you because I knew you didn't like me. I was horrible because I didn't want you to know that I liked you. Looking back, though, I think I made it pretty damn obvious. Sheesh, Ally." He muttered, shaking his head. I still couldn't move, I was so shocked.

"I-I…I'm sorry, I guess. Sorry I never realised. Sorry I said I hated you. But I'm not sorry for hating you. You brought that on yourself. I mostly hated you because you were so much smarter than me, yet you never even tried. And then all those other things made it worse." I said, finally snapping out of it and managing to speak normally.

I honestly could not believe it. I mean, there was no way I returned the feelings. No way. Yet I felt terrible that I hadn't realised sooner, and I was hoping to God that this hadn't ruined the friendship we were so close to.

"Well, I guess I can't blame you…you never even realised how hot you were. I shouldn't be surprised that you never realised that I liked you. But I guess the secret's out now. I get it if you don't want to talk to me anymore. Or tutor me. It wasn't like anything was going to change anyway." He sighed, slinging his bag over his shoulder and moving towards the exit. I got to my feet and slung myself after him, grabbing his arm to stop him.

"Wait, Austin. I-I don't want to stop tutoring you. And I definitely don't want to stop talking to you. I want us to be friends…I'm not going to lie and say that I 'like like' you back. But I do like you a little more now that I know the real reason you treated me so crappy. And, in all honesty, I find it quite sweet. The bad boy had a crush on the goody-two-shoes. Kind of ironic, isn't it?" I laughed. He just glared at me.

"Please don't take the piss out of me, or I might be forced to take drastic action." He warned me, a serious look on his face. I chuckled.

"Like what?" I asked him. I saw an evil glint in his eye right before he launched himself at me.

"Like this!" he roared, grabbing my waist and beginning his assault.

"S-s-s-stop t-t-ick-ling me!" I shrieked loudly, fighting desperately to get away from him. He refused to stop, and soon enough we were rolling around on the floor, me trying desperately to get away from him. I was crying with laughter and he was coughing from the exertion. Eventually we were both out of breath and we stopped, sitting on the floor in silence while we caught our breath. The silence was only interrupted occasionally by Austin's loud coughing.

"You sound like my dad coughing. Oh my God, Austin! Do you smoke a lot?" I asked him seriously. He looked away, refusing to meet my eye. I gasped, appalled.

"Oh my God, you do! I knew you smoked since that day in the park, but I never realised you actually smoke properly! Do you have any idea how bad for you that is?" I fretted. He laughed.

"Of course I do. Genius, remember?" he said sarcastically.

"Then why do you do it?" I asked.

"Well, at first it was just to fit in, you know? All my friends did it, why shouldn't I? Yeah, I guess you could say I gave in to peer pressure. But now…it's been three years since I started. I couldn't stop if I wanted to. Which I don't, by the way." He said quickly. I smiled gently.

"You've smoked since you were fourteen?"

"It's not that bad. I know nine-year-olds who smoke." He said defensively.

"So do I. I guess I just expected better of you…I thought you were smarter than that. Guess I was wrong." I sighed. I saw some strange emotion settle on his face for a second. It looked almost like, regret, disappointment. But it was gone almost as soon as it appeared, to be replaced by his usual, unreadable expression of obliviousness. He shrugged.

"Whatever. I don't give a shit about what you expected of me." I laughed at the obvious lie.

"Sure you don't. Look, our session ended ten minutes ago. I really should get home. You already made me late last night." I said. He checked his watch, looking panicked.

"Shit! Shit shit shit shit shit! Fuck!" he exclaimed, grabbing his bag and rushing to the door. I grabbed my own bag, turned off the light, and ran after him.

"What's up?" I asked him, worried.

"I'm late." He said simply, before hopping onto his bike and driving off. Yes, when I say bike I mean motorbike. He has a car too, which he usually drives to school. But sometimes he drives his motorbike. I don't like motorbikes. They're too loud and dangerous. Although I have to admit, he did look pretty damn hot as he rode away from me.

I wondered to myself what he could have possibly been late for. I mean, he could have simply meant that he was late home. I was worried about being late home myself. But somehow, Austin didn't strike me as the kind of guy to worry about not meeting his curfew. Hell, he didn't seem like the kind of guy to even have a curfew. I shook my head and tried to rid myself of the image of him on that bike…

"Ally, you're home! Did you have a good day?" my dad greeted me brightly from the kitchen. I smiled.

"Yeah, thanks dad. It was pretty great." I sighed, dropping my bag on the floor by the door and kicking off my shoes. I flopped down on the couch, closing my eyes. I was so tired, all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep for weeks. But I had homework.

I checked my timetable for the rest of the week and grinned. I had been signed up for the AP Maths class. Everyone always said that it was really hard, and only the very best students got picked. I smiled to myself.

"What's got you so happy?" dad asked, walking into the room with a sandwich and a coffee. I winced. The coffee smelled really, really strong. I jumped up and took it out of his hand.

"Oh my God dad, what did you do to that coffee?" I asked him, appalled. He shrugged.

"I thought it smelled strange, but I figured it was okay to drink…"

"Yeah, if you want to be awake for the next year. How much coffee did you put in this?" I asked him.

"I'm not sure…look, Als, you know I'm no good at cooking." He cried, exasperated. I laughed.

"Dad, making coffee doesn't count as cooking…" I said, trying to stifle my laughter. He looked sad, so I patted his back and smiled at him.

"Don't worry dad, I'll make you a coffee. Just sit down."

"Your mom used to say that. Whenever I did something wrong, she would laugh and say she'll do it. And then tell me to sit down. You're so much like her." He sighed, and I saw the tears in his eyes. I sighed, suddenly angry.

"I am nothing like that bitch, dad. I would never abandon you like that. Don't you dare compare me to her!" I yelled at him. He frowned, looking down.

"You don't know the whole story. You don't know why she left. If you knew…maybe you wouldn't hate her so much." He said quietly.

"Well then why don't you tell me?" I asked him.

"Because…you're not old enough."

"I'm seventeen, dad! In less than a year I'll be old enough to move out! But until you tell me, I am going to assume she left without good reason and I will not stop hating her." I said stubbornly. Dad was crying by now, and I couldn't help but feel guilty.

"I want to tell you…I just…" he started. I shook my head.

"I'm sorry dad, so sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm just frustrated. I don't understand why you refuse to tell me. But if you aren't ready to, then that's okay. Let's drop this, okay?" I said, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly.

"She had cancer." He blurted. I froze, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"What?" I whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear.

"She left because she was dying-she didn't want you to grow up with a dying mother-she knew that you could never grow up a normal girl if you had to look after her." He explained, sitting down. He had visibly relaxed, as if a huge weight had been lifted. Which, in all fairness, it probably had. I was still frozen in place, unable to comprehend what this meant.

"Is she-is she dead?" I stammered. He shook his head.

"No, I just spoke to her last week. She's in bad shape though. The doctor said-"

"Doctor? She's in hospital? And what do you mean you spoke to her? Why didn't you ever tell me about this?" I said hoarsely, holding back the tears threatening to take over me.

"Yeah, she's in hospital. And yes, I do keep in touch with her. But I've never visited her; not since she left."

"So, what, she left and went straight to hospital?"

"No, she moved into a little apartment. She's only been in hospital for the past six months or so." He sighed.

"What did the doctor say?" I asked him, already sure that I knew what he was going to say.

"He said…he said she doesn't have long. The chemotherapy didn't work, and she's refusing to try anything else. She says she wants to pass away peacefully. She's sick of the chemo." He sighed.

"How long, dad?" I asked him softly.

"Not long." He sighed.

"How long is not long?"

"He said…he said around two months, maybe even less. It depends on how hard she fight's, I guess."

"Oh my God." I whispered, then collapsed, falling down to sit on the floor. I rested my head in my hands.

"I'm so sorry Ally, I should have told you earlier, I-"

"Yeah, you're right, you should have! All these years I've believed my mom was a bitch who left you for some other man. And it turns out that she left to protect me! She left because she didn't want me to know she was dying! I've hated her ever since I was old enough to understand that she was gone. And now she only has a couple months left!" I shouted, tears streaming down my face, ruining my carefully applied make-up.

"I know, and you have to believe me, I'm so sorry." He whispered. I was too angry to care about the pained look on his face.

"Well sorry won't make this better! Sorry won't give her longer to live, longer for me to get to know her!" I shouted. His eyes widened, and he shook his head.

"No, Ally, you can't go see her. That would drive her insane. She wants to die knowing that you are happy, that you won't be hurt by her death. She wants to leave you happy." He explained.

"I can't let her die without seeing her at least once, dad! She's my mother!"

"I don't care, Ally. I will not watch you fall apart the way I did when she left. I forbid you to see her." He said sternly. I got to my feet shakily, glaring at him with as much venom in my expression as I could muster.

"Guess what dad? I don't care." I hissed, before turning around and storming out of the house, slamming the door behind me. I wasn't really planning on going to see her right then; I had no idea where she was. Dad had always told me that she lived in Texas, but I didn't know whether that was a complete lie or whether she was in a hospital in Texas.

I walked around for a while, eventually ending up in the park. I sat by the fountain and cried my eyes out, ignoring the few people who asked me if I was okay. After a while I felt someone come and sit next to me, rubbing my back comfortingly. Assuming it was Trish, I leant into her side and buried my head in her shoulder. A small part of me realised that the body was too muscly to be Trish, but by then I was too tired and upset to care.

**Please review :D 3**


	6. When Ally Needs Some Place To Stay

**OMG GUYS! I can't believe I'm uploading chapter 6 already! **

**This is all thanks to all the reviews, you know! I feel compelled to update once I've got more than 15 reviews, even if I only updated a few hours ago! **

**I apologise, but I will have to calm down and update less frequently, especially since I am writing a new A&A fic at the same time, which I will publish soon...it will be a one-shot unless people want more, so yeah, you can read that, you know, if you want...*hint hint* :P**

**Please review with your ideas and stuff, and if you have spotted any mistakes I would be more than happy to set them right if you point them out...I don't have teh patience to edit it myself and I don't have a beta, so there will be mistakes...I do try to limit them as much as possible, though.**

**If any of you have any stories you want me to read on the site, or even to proof-read, feel free to ask, I would be happy to xx Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :( **

Chapter 6

Eventually I was all cried out. I slowly sat up, blinking away the last of the tears. I was shocked to see Austin sat there, looking down at me. We sat in awkward silence for a while, before he spoke.

"Well…are you okay?" he asked. I chuckled.

"This is the second time in three days that you have seen me cry. Must be a record." I sighed. He laughed.

"I do tend to have that effect on the ladies. But I'm guessing you weren't crying about my undeniable good looks, so…what's wrong?" he asked me softly. I shrugged.

"Why do you care?" I asked him.

"I just do. I thought we were sort-of friends." He said, looking a little hurt, although I couldn't decide whether he was faking it or not.

"Well…the strange thing is, when I went to school on Monday, I hated your guts. I mean honestly, I wanted nothing to do with you. At all. I really, truly hated you."

"Yeah, okay, I think I get the point. I wasn't your favourite person in the world. So, has that changed?"

"Well, that's the thing. It has. I don't hate you anymore. I mean, you're still not my favourite person, but you've turned out to be not as bad as I always thought you were. And, I mean, after all you've said about how you always liked me and stuff…I guess I misjudged you, never gave you a chance. But…it seems a little soon. It's only been two days since we first managed to talk civilly." I explained. He sat there, looking thoughtful, until I had finished speaking.

"Well…how about we get to know each other? We can just hang out a little, and if you realise I am the guy you thought I was, you can ditch me. Sound good?" he said, completely serious. I thought for a moment, before nodding in agreement.

"Sounds great." I smiled.

"Good. So, you wanna tell me what was wrong with you?" he asked me. I sighed, feeling my eyes well up again at the reminder. I considered keeping it a secret; I hadn't even told Trish yet, and she is my best friend. But I knew that if I kept it all bottled up it would drive me insane. So I started to tell him…and it all came pouring out. All the hatred and resentment I always felt for her, how much it hurt to know that she didn't deserve any of it.

"Wow. Sounds like you're parents really fucked up with this one didn't they?" he said bluntly. And just the way he said it, the way he wasn't afraid to say what I had been thinking, made me laugh and cry all over again.

"Yeah. Yeah, they did. But this isn't even something they can just fix, just like that. I can't go speak to her and everything will be okay again? Because she'll be dead before we even have the chance to get to know each other!" I cried, feeling the crashing depression take over me once more. I saw the panic in Austin's eyes and figured he probably didn't want to have to comfort me again, so I held it back, and managed to stop myself from crying again. He looked relieved.

"Well…maybe you shouldn't go see her. I mean, if you're already this cut up about it, imagine how hard it will be once you've met her, once you've known her. And isn't that the one thing she wanted to avoid? You being hurt when she dies?" he said slowly, and I could tell he was trying not to piss me off, but it didn't work.

"So you expect me to just sit here, knowing that my mother will be dead soon, the mother I have never even met, and not even attempt to go meet her? Sure, that's going to happen." I said sarcastically. He sighed, shrugging.

"I figured you would be like that. But it was worth a try." He shrugged. And just like that, the anger was gone. I relaxed, and we sat like that, in silence, for a while. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore.

"Do you think you could possibly do me a favour?" I asked him. He smiled.

"Which hospital is she in?" he asked me. I blinked, confused.

"How did you know-?"

"You're pretty easy to read, Ally. Come on, my car's at home, but it's not a long walk."

"Thanks Austin, but I don't even know what hospital it is. I mean, dad always told me she was in Texas, but who knows if that was a lie or not…" I sigh. He stopped, thinking. Finally he shrugged.

"Well then, I guess you need to talk to your dad." He said. I grimaced.

"Uh-uh. No way. There is no way I can face him tonight. It might be hard to believe, but I have anger issues. There's no way I will be able to speak to my dad for the next couple of days without screaming at him. It's just what I do." I explain, blushing. I do pretty well to keep control of my temper, and only my closest friends know what I can be like-which means only Trish knows what I can be like. And now Austin, although he, at least, hasn't seen it first-hand.

"Well, what are you going to do for the next couple days? Tiptoe around your house and avoid him?" he asked me, his tone suggesting he didn't think that was a good idea.

"I guess I'll have to stay with Trish." I shrugged.

"Okay then, sounds good. You want a lift?" he offered. This was the second time in ten minutes that he had offered me a lift somewhere. I was beginning to get suspicious.

"Nah, it's fine, I can walk." I said.

"Where does Trish live?"

"Milner Lane."

"That's miles away, Ally. You'll freeze. And it looks like it's going to rain." He protested. I raised my eyebrows; it was only a little cold, and the few clouds in the sky didn't look too menacing, but I shrugged and agreed to let him give me a lift anyway.

We started walking in a comfortable silence, but soon it began to feel awkward. I pulled out my phone to call Trish and make sure I was okay to stay with her, and saw that I had seven missed calls and six text messages. I sighed, knowing exactly who they were from. I typed a quick reply, just to set his mind at ease, then dialled Trish.

"Hey, Ally. Look, things are kind of hectic right now, so do you think you could make it quick?" Trish greeted me, sounding stressed.

"I, erm…I wondered if I could stay at your place for a couple days? I've had a…erm, a fight with dad. I can't be around him for a while, Trish." I said, knowing she would get me.

"That bad, huh? Well, I love you Ally, and if this was any other time it would be fine, but dad's just announced that he's leaving to go on a business trip, and mom being the paranoid freak show she is decided we were all going, because she thinks he's going to spend the weekend with his younger girlfriend or something." She explained, sounding pissed. I felt tears threaten to spill out again, but I couldn't let Trish know. She would feel terrible.

"Oh, okay." I sighed.

"I am sorry, Ally. I'd ask if you wanted to come with us, but we're leaving in ten minutes and mom and dad aren't in the best of moods…" she said guiltily. I wiped my eyes and tried to keep my voice steady, despite the panic threatening to take over.

"Don't worry, Trish, I'll be fine. I guess I can just….try to stay out of his way." I sighed, but we both knew that wasn't going to work.

"I'd ask what the fight was about, but mom is yelling at me to hurry up…but I'll call you as soon as I can, okay?"

"Okay. See you Trish." I said, before hanging up. Austin glanced at me.

"That didn't sound good." He said. I shrugged, then burst into tears again. He hugged me again, which surprised me.

"Thanks Austin. I'm sorry I'm being such a cry baby. I just…this is so hard. Sometimes I wish I wasn't such an outcast…if I had more friends, Trish wouldn't be the only person I could turn to. I hate being the girl who always relies on one person, excluding my dad." I sobbed, wiping my eyes. He slowly pulled away.

"Hey, Ally, come on. There's nothing wrong with being an outcast…look at me. I don't have anyone I can rely on, especially no-one like Trish." He said. I frowned.

"What about your friends?" I asked him.

"What friends? I don't have friends." He said, like it was no big deal.

"Then who were those people you were hanging out with that time? When you, erm…when you called me a 40-year-old virgin." I mumbled, embarrassed by the memory. He laughed.

"First of all, they aren't what you'd call 'friends'. I won't go into detail, but trust me, they aren't 'friend' kind of people. And second, you know I didn't mean that, right? I guess I was just trying to impress them…stupid, I know, but that's all it was. There's no way you will end up a 40-year-old virgin…unless you choose to, anyway." He shrugged.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Trust me, Als…there's not gonna be any shortage of guys who'll want to have sex with you." He said, smirking at my blush.

"Yeah…figured that one out all by myself." I muttered bitterly. He froze, and I walked right into his back.

"What?" he asked darkly. I frowned, confused by his sudden change in emotion. I hadn't thought he had heard.

"Nothing." I said quickly.

"Ally, tell me." He said sternly.

"No."

"Ally."

"Austin! Stop this! We're not even really friends yet, and you're ordering me to tell you something? Just drop it." I sighed, unable to sustain my anger. I was just too tired.

"Sorry. But seriously, if anything's happened…you really should tell someone." He said. I was confused.

"What? Why?" I asked him.

"Because it's a big thing, Ally! Rape, and sexual assault…it's not something to be blasé about!" he shouted. I froze, shocked.

"Whoa! Where did you get that idea from?" I asked him. He visibly relaxed.

"You mean nothing's happened?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No! Nothing like that!" I said. He sighed in relief.

"Good." He said, before turning away.

"Why do you care so much?" I asked him.

"I've already told you. I want us to be friends. And I've liked you for a long time, Ally. Besides, anything like that…it really pisses me off. I mean…never mind." He stopped speaking abruptly.

"What?" I asked, curious.

"Nothing. Look, my house is just around the corner." He pointed out.

"Great." I sighed, a little bit hurt. He sounded relieved, like he was happy he would be able to get rid of me soon. It wasn't surprising, but it still hurt a little.

"So, you can't go to Trish's…where do you want me to take you?" he asked me. I felt my phone buzz and pulled it out. It was a text from dad.

**Don't do anything stupid. I want you home right now, Ally. I mean it; you are in serious trouble if you don't get back soon.**

I felt the anger flare up again; he had no right to be mad at me. I mean, sure I had stormed out, but I wasn't the one who had kept a huge secret from him for most of his life.

"Ally? What's up?"

"I can't go home. Not right now." I said quietly.

"I never said you had to. But there has to be somewhere else." He said.

"Unless you want to drive me all the way to Hawaii; that's where my closest relative lives." I sighed.

"You must have someone else. Like, a friend who isn't a very close friend but wouldn't mind you staying with them."

"Nope. Other than Trish, you're the closest friend I have." I sighed.

"Oh. Well…"

"That wasn't a hint!" I protested, realising what I had said. He looked confused.

"What?"

"That sounded like I was hinting, but I wasn't. I know I can't stay at your place, for obvious reasons." I said, blushing furiously.

"I didn't think it was a hint." He said, smiling a little as we reached his house. He stopped to open his gate, so he didn't see how red my cheeks were.

"Oh. Good. Because it wasn't." I said.

"Definitely not." He said, smirking at me.

"Yup. I definitely wasn't hinting." I said again, humiliated. I followed him up his drive, but stopped when he walked straight past his car.

"Erm, Austin…"

"Yeah?"

"Where are you going?"

"Inside. Aren't you coming?" he asked me.

"I thought you were giving me a lift….?"

"Where to? You can't go home, and apparently Trish is your only friend."

"I guess…"

"So you're staying with me." He shrugged.

"What?"

"It was your idea."

"But I wasn't hinting!" I shouted. He laughed.

"I know that. But seriously, Ally, where else are you going to go? We've decided to try this whole 'friend' thing out. And as your friend, I am inviting you to stay with me until you have cooled off enough to speak to your dad again." He said. I considered protesting, but frankly I didn't have the energy.

"Okay. Fine. But won't your parents mind?" I asked.

"They've never cared when I've had girls over before." He shrugged. I blushed, realising that any other girls he had had over were probably there for a different reason.

"Oh. Okay." I said quickly, before following him inside.

His front door creaked as he opened it, and he ushered me inside quickly before slamming it shut. I jumped, and he shot me an apologetic glance.

"Sorry. We have to slam it else it won't shut." He said.

He led me down a narrow hallway, gesturing for me to be quiet as he glanced into a room on the left. I saw him tense up and then heard a guy speak.

"Where were you?" the voice said, slightly slurred, but II could tell the guy wasn't too drunk.

"Out." Austin said vaguely, before turning back to me and signalling for me to follow him.

"Out where-oh, you brought a friend? What's your name, girly?" he asked me, smiling crookedly. Now that I could see him, I realised that the sort-of distinguished sounding accent didn't relate at all to this guy's looks. He had about three teeth in his mouth, and he was wearing a grey wife beater covered in stains. His hair was greasy and black and, although he wasn't fat, I could tell that Austin didn't get his tall, skinny body from this man. If he even was his father.

"Ally." I replied shortly, afraid to look him in the eye. He leered.

"Ally. Wasn't there another one called Ally?" he asked Austin, smiling knowingly. Austin shook his head, and I could see by the tightness in his shoulders and the look on his face that he didn't like this guy. At all.

"No. You must be losing your mind. Come on Als, we're going upstairs." He said shortly, grabbing my wrist and practically dragging me through the room and towards a small staircase.

"Try not to make too much noise, son. I couldn't sleep last time!" the guy called after. I felt sick, and suddenly I remembered why I had always hated Austin so much. Not just because of the whole school thing. But because he was a womaniser; he would have a different girlfriend every week, and I had no doubt that all he did was screw them and then dump them. I tugged my arm out of his grip. He looked back at me, frowning, and I could see he was hurt. But I just couldn't bring myself to touch him again.

He led me into a small room, thankfully a whole lot cleaner than the rest of the house. Obviously it was still a mess; it was a guy's bedroom, what do you expect? But it was a superficial kind of mess; the surfaces were clean and the room smelt fresh. There were clothes strewn across the floor, and a baseball set on the floor in the corner, but other than that it was okay. I looked around, taking it in. The small black couch on one side of the room, the band posters on the wall, the desk and wardrobe. I scoffed when I saw the calendar on the wall; bikini models, one for every month of the year. Austin followed my gaze and smirked.

"Present from dad." He shrugged.

"So, was that guy…" I asked him. He nodded, his expression sad and a little embarrassed.

"Sadly, yes. He's not that bad when he's sober. Unfortunately, he's only sober one day a year."

"Christmas?" I asked. He shook his head.

"29th February." He replied. I laughed.

"Oh. That sucks. What about your mom?" I asked him.

"She's asleep. I think. I don't know." He sighed, walking over and throwing himself across the bed.

"Oh. Okay. So…do you have girls over a lot?" I asked him, trying to sound like I didn't care either way.

"Used to. Not for a while though." He replied.

"Why not?" I asked him, although inside I was glad. He looked at me, eyebrows raised.

"Why the sudden interest in my sex life?" he asked, smirking when I blushed.

"You were asking about my sex life earlier, I'm just returning the favour."

"Favour? So you like discussing your sex life?" he asked.

"You know what I mean." I said, blushing as I looked away. He laughed.

"Yeah. Not as if you have anything to discuss." He joked.

"I wish." I muttered. Once again, he heard me.

"What?" he asked me.

"For God's sake, Austin! What on earth makes you so sure I'm a virgin?" I asked him huffily. He laughed.

"Because you're you! Are trying to tell me you aren't?" he asked, laughing.

"For fuck's sake! No, I'm not a virgin!" I shouted, then regretted it since his dad could probably hear every word. He just laughed harder.

"Sure you aren't." he said sarcastically. I sat there, glaring at him, until he stopped laughing.

"Wait, were you serious?" he asked, sounding shocked.

"Yeah. I am." I said sadly, looking away. I was angry at him for not believing me, but the sadness I felt about it all overweighed my anger.

"Since when?"

"Since the summer." I sighed.

"Who was he?" he asked. His voice sounded strange, almost…pained. I glanced up at him, but his expression was unreadable.

"Dallas."

"What? As in, Dallas Jones? The new guy in school?" he asked. I nodded.

"Why do you think I hate him so much?" I asked cynically.

"So, what, he forced you into it?" he asked me, sounding angry.

"No." I said. Then I told him everything.

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	7. Discussing Austin Moon's Sex Life

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**In case anyone doesn't know, I have begun another fic, called Convenience Store. It is Auslly, and it is a multi-chap, but I promise it won't affect the quality or quantity of updates on this story. Read it, if you want, I'd appreciate any more feedback! :D **

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Chapter 7

"Wow. What a bastard. I thought he was an okay guy." He said once I had explained everything. I had sat down on the couch while I explained, and he was opposite me, sat on the side of his bed.

"I mean this in the nicest way possible, but isn't that basically what you do to girls? Or used to do, anyway." I asked him. He shook his head fiercely.

"No. I never faked anything. All the girls I slept with knew that I didn't want anything more than sex. I never pretended to have feelings for them, and they never pretended to have feelings for me. No strings attached." He explained. I was slightly relieved, knowing that he wasn't that kind of guy, but I didn't understand the whole 'no strings attached' notion.

"How do you do that? Doesn't it mean anything to you?" I asked.

"Not really."

"I don't get it. For me, sex was a huge deal. I could never do that, just sleep with someone for the fun of it. I believe that sex always means something."

"Well, yeah, it means something. I wouldn't sleep with someone I wasn't attracted to, or I didn't get along with. I don't just pick girls up off the streets and bring them home with me." He said.

"That's what you did with me." I whispered.

"Yeah, but that's different. I didn't bring you here for sex, I brought you here because you're my friend and you needed somewhere to stay." He shrugged. I smiled, relieved that I hadn't made things awkward.

"I guess. So you'll only have sex with someone you like? Love has nothing to do with it?" I asked. He snorted.

"I don't believe in love." He said, like he was telling me he didn't believe in ghosts, or unicorns. I stared at him, shocked into silence.

"How can you not believe in love?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"I just don't."

"Wow. Well, I'm not going to sit here and try to convince you that love is real. I'm too tired. But if I wasn't so tired, I would." I said. He laughed.

"You want to go to sleep?" he asked.

"What time is it?" I asked him.

"Three forty-five." He said. I gaped.

"In the morning? Shit! I have school tomorrow!" I hissed.

"So do I…are you seriously planning to go to school after everything that's happened today?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Well…I don't want to fall behind." I said weakly. He scoffed.

"Ally, you're a genius. There's no way you won't be able to catch up. Have the next couple of days off." He said. The old Ally Dawson would have been horrified by the idea, but the new Ally found herself agreeing.

"I guess. Aw, dammit. I have nothing to sleep in. Or to wear tomorrow." I muttered. I could sleep in what I was wearing, but I'd still have nothing to wear in the morning.

"Well you could just wear those clothes again tomorrow." He said, shrugging like it was no big deal.

"Yeah, and what would I sleep in?" I asked him. He smiled and licked his lips suggestively.

"You don't have to wear anything to sleep in…" he said. I hit him with a pillow and he laughed.

"In your dreams." I muttered, glaring at him.

"Definitely."

"Definitely what?"

"In my dreams." It took me a minute to get it, but when I did I hit him again.

"Ew, Austin! I can't believe you just said you were going to dream about me naked!" I groaned.

"It wouldn't be the first time." He shrugged. I hit him again, blushing furiously.

"Shut up, Austin, just shut up." I squealed.

"Relax, I'm kidding. I'll find you something to wear." He said, getting up to rifle through his drawers. He came back with a pair of sweatpants and a red t-shirt. Of course, they were miles to big, but I figured they were better than nothing.

"Where can I change?" I asked him. He gestured around the room.

"In here." I rolled my eyes.

"Turn around then." I told him. He frowned.

"Excuse me? You are a guest in my house, and you have the nerve to order me around?" he said, pretending to be offended.

"I'm serious, Austin."

"Fine. I'll look away. But I'm not promising I won't peek." He said as he turned around.

"If you're my friend, you won't peek." I said, quickly pulling my shirt over my head, just as he turned around to reply. I squealed, throwing my shirt at him, luckily hitting him in the face so he couldn't see me. I pulled his shirt on quickly, so thankfully all he saw was a little bit of my stomach.

"Sheesh, Ally! Why are you so shy?" he said, sounding a little pissed.

"I just am. Sorry if that bothers you. Could you please look away again so I can put the sweatpants on?" I asked him.

"Whatever." He sighed.

I changed bottoms quickly, hating that I couldn't change my underwear but not prepared to mention that to Austin.

"You done?" he asked. I nodded, then realised he couldn't see me.

"Yeah." I replied, folding my jeans and shirt.

"You need anything? A drink, something to eat?" He asked.

"No, I'm fine. Actually, do you have any baby wipes?" I asked him.

"Why?"

"I need to wipe my make-up off, else I'll get spots."

"Oh. Right. My mom probably has some, I'll go look." He said, then left the room before I could thank him. I sighed, lying down on the couch. I felt so confused; just two days ago I literally hated this guy, and now here I was, in his bedroom, planning to spend the night. Austin is such a great guy, and as it turns out, a great friend. This did seem like things were going fast, but to me it felt like months ago that we had had that first tutoring session. It felt like we had been friends for ages.

I must have been more tired than I thought, because the next thing I remember is waking up to bright sunlight. I rubbed my eyes, then groaned. I was going to have panda eyes, and probably get spots. But I was surprised to find that my make-up had been wiped off. I smiled, assuming that Austin had done it. Unless I was so tired I couldn't remember doing it myself, but I doubted it. I was also wrapped in a blanket, which I didn't remember picking up myself. I climbed off the couch and stood up. Austin was sprawled across his bed on his back, shirtless. I blushed and looked away. I needed the bathroom, but wasn't sure where it was so I decided to wait.

After twenty minutes I started getting impatient. I hated sitting around not doing anything, so I decided to get dressed. Austin was asleep so he wouldn't be able to look. I pulled the shirt over my head and took off the sweatpants, before realising that my clothes weren't on the floor by the couch where I had left them.

"Shit." I muttered, looking around. I checked everywhere, practically running around Austin's bedroom, but I couldn't find them anywhere. Until I looked up. And there they were, just lying on a shelf, my neatly folded clothes. The only problem? The shelf was above Austin's bed. Cursing under my breath again, I wondered what I could do. I wouldn't be able to reach them without standing on the bed, which would bring my practically naked body in close proximity to Austin, which wasn't good. I could have just put Austin's clothes back on until he woke up. But then I would have to risk him peeking again, and I was just too stubborn anyway. So, hoping he was a heavy sleeper, I crept over to his bed and tried to grab my clothes, but I couldn't reach. Holding my breath, I climbed onto the bed and grab the shelf to keep my balance.

"Mmmf." Austin moaned in his sleep, turning and grabbing my leg. Surprised, I yelped, trying to pull myself away, and I fell off the bed. Austin bolted upright, looking around. I crossed my fingers and hoped he wouldn't look down at me, but of course he did. His eyes widened, and his mouth slowly curved upwards into a smirk.

"You know, if you were going to climb into bed with me, I'd rather you ditched the underwear and woke me up first." He said cockily. I felt ,my cheeks burn up again and grabbed the first thing I saw to cover myself up with.

"Shut up Austin. This is your fault, not mine. You put my clothes up there." I huffed, embarrassed. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, stretching. I couldn't help but stare at him; he might be skinny, but he has muscle.

"Like what you see?" he grinned. I blushed even more, standing up and trying to cover myself with the hoodie I had picked up.

"Relax, Ally. You don't have to cover up any more, I've already seen everything." He joked. I could tell he wasn't expecting me to agree with him, but I was feeling brave.

"I guess." I said, dropping the hoodie. He stared at me, open-mouthed, and I stood on the bed and grabbed my clothes. When I stepped down again I looked at him, still staring at me, and smirked.

"Like what you see?" I copied his words. He nodded.

"A lot." He said huskily. Suddenly, things weren't light-hearted and funny anymore. I felt my heart speed up, and my breathing became shallow. Trying to shake it off, I turned around and started to pull my shirt on. I felt a hand on my hip, then on the other, as Austin pulled me back.

"Austin!" I squeaked as he spun me around, but he cut off whatever else I was planning to say with a searing kiss. For a second I was frozen, unsure what to do, and then I felt him start to pull away and I kissed him back. This was different to anything I had experienced before, even with Dallas. I thought what I had had with Dallas was hot, but it was nothing compared to this. This was much more raw, more wild. I felt things Dallas had never made me feel. Things I didn't think I could feel.

Before I knew it I was straddling him, my knees on the bed either side of him. I shivered as he ran his hands down my sides, brushing the fabric of my panties. I moaned against his lips and felt him fall back, lying down on the bed with me lying on top of him. I straightened my legs and he rolled us over, hovering over me as we broke apart, struggling for breath. I felt him run his hands across my stomach and up, to brush the bottom of my bra. Suddenly I wanted it off, wanted everything off. And that scared me enough to push him away, roll over, and try to catch my breath.

"Ally?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. I-I can't." I panted. I felt his hand on my back.

"Don't be sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…I was supposed to be your friend." He said, sounding guilty.

"You are my friend. And I feel like we could be more than that…but three days ago I hated you, Austin. And it doesn't feel like that. I honestly feel like we have been friends for months right now. But we haven't. And I can't…that was just too fast. We got caught up in the moment. And I'm not saying I regret it. But I would have regretted it if I went further…" I said, blushing.

"I understand. I just…it felt like a dream, Ally. After liking you for all these years, watching you from the back of the classroom…and then you were in my bedroom, lying on the floor, in your underwear…I couldn't resist. I really am sorry." He said, and from the honest look in his eyes I knew he was telling the truth.

"Wow. Austin Moon, serial womaniser and resident bad boy of Miami High, apologising to Ally Dawson, serial loner and resident good girl of Miami High, for almost seducing her. Never thought I would see the day." I laughed, and suddenly things weren't awkward. We were just two friends. I didn't want to forget it, but I knew that if I wanted us to be friends, and maybe progress into something more, I would have to at the very least put it to the back of my mind.

I got dressed quickly, this time not worried at all about Austin seeing me because, hey, he's pretty much seen, and felt, it all now. I blushed at the thought. We snuck downstairs, since Austin didn't want to have to face either of his parents, and left by the front door.

"So, where do you wanna go?" he asked me as we climbed into his car. I shrugged.

"What do you usually do when you skip school?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"I usually get out of town, just in case anyone sees me and calls the school. But we don't have to-"

"No, getting out of town sounds good." I smiled. He grinned back and gunned the engine, making me jump. We sped out of town, just below the speed limit, although it felt like we were going much faster than that.

Eventually Austin pulled over on a small car park by the beach. I frowned.

"We're going to the beach?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah. Is that okay?" he asked. I sighed, but nodded.

"Yeah. It's fine, I guess. I just…I've had some pretty bad experiences at the beach. But I'm sure this will be fine." I said. We got out of the car and Austin went around to the boot to grab something. He came back with a huge beach ball with a big moustache on it. I laughed so hard I nearly fell over.

"Where did you get that? I have to have one!" I squeezed out between giggles. He smiled.

"You can have this one." He said.

"Oh my God really? I love you!" I squealed, laughing like a lunatic.

We hung out on the beach for hours, running around with the beach ball and having a blast. I forgot about all my past experiences at the beach and just let myself have fun with Austin. We sunbathed; or rather I sunbathed while Austin tried to bury my legs. And then we waited for the tide to come in and we ran around in the sea. When the tide finally went out again and the temperature dropped we decided to go get something to eat. We found a little tourist café and ordered the seafood platter for two. The waitress was staring at Austin, and kept coming back over to ask if we wanted anything else. Eventually, once she left for the seventh time, Austin turned to me.

"I know you wanted us to be friends and everything, but could you do me one favour?" he asked. I wondered what he meant, but I nodded anyway.

"Sure, anything." I replied. I was about to ask what but he looked around, saw that she was coming back over, and then grabbed me. He whispered in my ear; 'play along', then kissed me. I figured that it was just an act, but I couldn't help but love it. We kissed for ages, only coming up for breath when we heard someone clear their throat beside us. We looked over and the waitress was there, looking seriously pissed off. She was also holding our food.

"Your food." She said shortly, unceremoniously dumping it down on the table and storming away. We waited until she was out of sight, and then burst out laughing.

"That was so mean. She obviously liked you." I said. Being me, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"She was creepy. She just kept coming over. It's kinda obvious that we're here as a couple, yet she didn't seem to care." He said, shrugging.

"Only we aren't here as a couple…" I said. He grinned.

"Well, it looks like we are. Even before the kiss." He said, and I had to agree.

"I suppose."

We ate the food, which was surprisingly good, in silence, and when we were done a different waitress came to clear it away. We left smiling, and I asked Austin what time it was.

"Four thirty." He told me. I sighed.

"Well, I guess I need to go home."

"What?" he asked, sounding surprised and a little disappointed?

"I need to get some clothes and stuff, since I'm staying at your place for the next couple of days. I suppose I could deal with wearing your clothes, but I need my own underwear." I said. He nodded.

"Okay, so do you want a lift?"

"Nah, I was gonna walk."

"It's, like, forty miles away." He said. I laughed.

"Haven't you ever heard of sarcasm? Of course I want a lift." I laughed. He joined in, and we walked back to his car. We had mostly dried off since the sea, but Austin still put blankets over the seats. I laughed.

"Why do guys always get protective about their cars?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"It's just a guy thing. The two things we feel like we have to protect; our cars, and our girls."

"Aw, sweet. I wish every guy thought like that." I sighed.

"Most do. You were just unlucky enough to find one of the few that don't."

"Yeah, and stupid enough to sleep with him." I muttered. I know he heard, but he didn't say anything. There was nothing for him to say.

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	8. Visiting Ally's Estranged Mother

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Chapter 8

Dad wasn't home when I got there, but I crept around anyway just in case. I got clothes enough for the next four days, because I wasn't sure how long I would be there. Austin waited in the car, but when I got out of the house he wasn't there anymore. He was on the end of the driveway. Talking to Dallas.

Well, they weren't exactly talking. More like Austin was yelling at Dallas, while Dallas was fidgeting and looking around like he would rather be anywhere else.

"After what you did to her, you actually have the fucking nerve to turn up at her house and try to fucking apologise?" he was yelling, taking a step forward. Dallas took an automatic step backwards, away from him, but he didn't look very scared.

"Why do you care? You her boyfriend now or something?" Dallas asked snottily. Austin scowled.

"Nah, I'm her friend. But this isn't about that; this is about you being a dick and breaking her heart." He hissed.

"Austin, leave it." I called warningly. They both looked at me, Dallas smirking, Austin's expression unreadable.

"Hey Ally. Looking hot; as usual." He said, licking his lips suggestively. Austin whirled around and went to punch him.

"Don't, Austin!" I shouted. I hated Dallas with every bone in my body, but I didn't want Austin to get into trouble. Plus, I'm not a helpless little girl. I can fight my own battles.

"Why not? I thought you hated him?" Austin said. I shrugged.

"I do hate him. But I'm better than that." I told him.

"Oh, okay. But I'm not." He said, then turned around and punched Dallas, right on the nose. I heard a crunch and then there was blood all down Dallas's face and Austin was shaking his fist angrily. I ran over there, shocked.

"Please tell me that was his nose that crunched." I gasped, hoping to God that Austin hadn't broken his hand. He nodded, a satisfied grin on his face.

"I don't think I broke it, but he's gonna be in pain for quite a while." He said, shrugging as if it was no big deal.

"You fucking bastard! You broke my fucking nose!" Dallas shouted, holding his nose and glaring at us both.

"Like I just said, I don't think I broke it." Austin sighed, shaking his head nonchalantly. I couldn't help bursting into laughter.

"Come on Austin, I got my clothes. Let's go." I sighed, turning round to head back to his car.

"Where are you going?" Dallas asked. I snorted.

"Why would I tell you?" I asked him.

"Because then I might not spread the rumour around school that Ally Dawson skipped school to spend the day with Austin Moon…I wonder what conclusions people would jump to then…" he said, raising his eyebrows. I shrugged.

"I have one friend, other than Austin, in that entire school. As if I would care what people think." I said as I climbed into Austin's car.

"Surely the teachers would care…" he said. I laughed.

"They wouldn't believe you, Dal. In fact, no-one would." I shrugged, and then Austin had started the engine and we were tearing down the street. Once we had turned the corner and I knew he wouldn't be able to see us anymore, I let the tears fall.

"Ally? Are you okay?" Austin asked when I buried my head in my hands.

"No. I hate him Austin, I really do, but every time I see him I remember how much I loved him, and how much I thought he loved me…it just hurts." I sobbed. He looked at me pityingly, as if he wanted to comfort me, but couldn't because he was driving. After a minute or two he pulled up outside a Dunkin' Donuts.

"Why are we here?" I asked him, wiping my eyes.

"Because I don't have much experience with crying girls, and even less experience with crying girls that are my friends, but everyone knows that Donuts solve all your problems." He smiled. I laughed.

"Is that your way of saying you had a craving for donuts?" I asked him. He shrugged, then nodded.

"I really love donuts." He said, shrugging with a 'what can you do' motion.

"Come on then. Are you paying?" I asked him.

"Do you really have to ask?" he replied.

"I don't mind paying." I told him. He shook his head.

"Nah, it's okay. The guy always pays."

"On a date. This is just two friends hanging out. You paid for the food earlier, so now it's my turn."

"No."

"Austin…"

"Fine, you can pay for your own. But I'll get the drinks." He compromised, and I knew it was the best I was gonna get, so I nodded in agreement.

I was beginning to realise that Austin wasn't the bad boy everyone thinks he is. In actual fact, he's pretty sweet, and funny, and nice. Maybe it was all a façade…

When we got outside Austin pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. And I realised that even though we were friends now, he was still a bad boy. But that didn't mean I had to like it.

Grabbing his lighter, I made use of the only thing I had ever been any good at in gym- throwing.

"Ally! What the fuck?" He shouted. I smiled.

"Smoking is bad for you. I might have just saved your life." I said. He grinned, and then pulled another lighter out of his back pocket.

"Ha!" he said triumphantly. I kicked his hand, making him drop the lighter, then I stomped on it. He shook his hand, wincing in pain.

"Ha!" I echoed him. He rubbed his hand, then smiled at me and raised one eyebrow.

"Touché, Dawson…touché." He said, and we both walked back to his car laughing.

The next few days passed in a blur. There were no more incidents while I was staying with him, and eventually I cooled off enough to go home. Austin dropped me back, and I hugged him, thanking him for letting me stay. I didn't kiss him, although I desperately wanted to.

When I walked in the house, dad was waiting for me in the lounge. I took a deep breath, then went over to sit next to me. He didn't say anything. We sat there in silence for a while. Half of me just wanted him to speak, the other half didn't want to hear him tell me how angry he was with me. Finally, he spoke.

"I'm going to take you to see your mom." He told me. I looked at him. He looked completely serious.

"Seriously?" I asked him, unable to believe it. He nodded. I threw my arms around his neck and started crying.

"Oh my God, dad, thank you so much!" I sobbed into his shoulder. He rubbed my back.

"It's okay. While you were gone…you gave me a chance to think. And, for a while, I was sure that you weren't coming back. And I realised that I couldn't stand to lose you as well. It's hard enough losing your mother." He said, and I could tell by his voice that he was close to tears as well.

"Oh, dad, of course I was coming back. I just…I was so angry. You know how I get…I didn't want to lose it and say something I would regret. But what I don't understand is why you aren't angry with me…I disappeared for five days, dad. I skipped three days of school." I said. He looked at me, surprised.

"Well, I didn't know you had skipped school, but we can deal with that later. The reason I'm not angry is because I trust you, Ally. I am so lucky to be gifted with such an amazingly talented, clever daughter. Not once during the time that you were gone did I doubt that you were safe. I knew you would be at Trish's." he said. I deliberated for a moment; do I agree with him, let him think I was at Trish's? Or do I tell him the truth? Finally I decided to tell the truth; he would speak to Trish's mom at some point, and there was no way she wouldn't tell him the truth.

"About that…I wasn't at Trish's, dad." I sighed. He looked confused.

"I thought Trish was your only friend?" he said. I smiled.

"Well, she was…until I started tutoring Austin. As it turns out, he's not as bad as I thought. I said. I saw a range of emotions on his face. Finally, he settled on confusion.

"Austin Moon? The guy you've hated for years?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yeah…"

"So, what, you two are friends now?"

"Yeah." I said, waiting for him to get it. Then I saw his expression change from confusion to anger, and I knew he understood.

"You stayed with a _boy? _For five whole days, you were sleeping with a _boy?_" he yelled. I shook my head.

"Not sleeping with him…I was on the couch, dad. We're just friends. Calm down." I said. He went even redder, if that was even possible.

"As if I'm going to believe that, Ally!" he shouted. I scowled.

"Come on, dad. You know me. I wouldn't do anything stupid." I said calmly. His expression softened a little, but not much.

"That isn't the point. I thought you were more sensible than that. Staying with a boy. For five days. In his bedroom, no less." He muttered, but I could tell that the worst of his anger was gone.

"Dad, I swear it won't happen again. You can trust me!" I tried to keep my voice down, but I was frustrated.

"I know. I do trust you. It's just…you're a young lady now. It's hard for me to think of you staying with a boy…" he said, grimacing. I laughed.

"Don't worry about me, dad. I can take care of myself. Besides, it's not like we were alone. His dad was there, and I think his mom was too." I told him, deciding to leave out the part about his dad being drunk, and how even Austin wasn't sure if his mom was there.

"Okay then. Now, there is something else I would like to discuss with you. About your mother…I'm going to take you to visit her." He sighed, obviously reluctant, but I was happy anyway.

"Really dad? You're serious?" I asked him, grinning excitedly. He nodded, but frowned.

"Don't get so excited about it, though, Ally. Remember, she's only got a month or so to live, according to the doctor. She's not going to be up to much catching up. I'm not sure how she is, since I haven't seen her since she left, but I'm pretty damn sure she won't look like the healthy, happy mother you're expecting." He warned me. I scowled at him.

"I'm not stupid, dad. I was never expecting her to be healthy or happy. And I wasn't expecting to live happily ever after. I know she is going to die, but I want to meet her anyway. She's my mom. I can't just let her die without even meeting her." I said softly, hoping he would understand. I'm not sure if he did or not, but he nodded anyway.

"Okay. Well I was lying when I said that she's in Texas. She was born there, grew up there, and wanted to die there, but they kept her in a hospital about two hours away from here, since it had the best facilities. We'll be back tomorrow, for sure, but we may stay at a hotel overnight. You've already missed plenty of school, another day won't hurt. But you're going back on Thursday." he sighed, and I knew he was saying it to convince himself more than me.

"When are we leaving?" I asked him, excited.

"Now, if you want. I mean the sooner the better. If you want to spend as much time as possible with her, we should get there as soon as we can." He said. So I quickly packed a bag, and we left.

…

Okay, so, it wasn't like I expected her to see me and smile and hold out her arms and then for us to have a huge, tearful reunion where she told me she loved me and missed me and was so glad I had come. But, honestly, I had hoped for something like that. Which is why I was so disappointed when I walked into her hospital room smiling, only to have her blink at me and ask me who I was.

"I, erm…" I choked, unable to get the words out. It hurt too much; not only to have my own mother not recognise me, but to see her looking so frail. She was so skinny, like a twig, and her eyes were sunken, her lips thin and pale. She looked like a skeleton.

"Excuse me? I think you have the wrong room." She said, and although her voice was soft and raspy it was strong, and she didn't struggle to speak. I had almost expected her to whisper something unintelligible.

"I'm going to ask you one more time before I call the nurse; who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Ally." I managed to choke out. Her expression changed from one of confusion to one of shock.

"Ally, as in, my daughter Ally?" she asked, eyes wide. I nodded, smiling through the tears.

"Hey mom." I whispered. She smiled a little for a second, then frowned, looking angry.

"Did your father bring you here?" she asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, but only because I ran out on him when he told me about you. I left him for five days to make a point and he gave in." I told her, as if it was nothing. She shook her head, smiling wryly.

"You remind me of me when I was your age." She chuckled, then broke out into a coughing fit. I ran over, unsure what to do. I settled for rubbing her back comfortingly until it stopped. She smiled at me, a little embarrassed.

"Sorry, Ally. I don't want to scare you. I guess I'm just not up to that much talking." She muttered. I frowned.

"It's fine, mom. Would you like anything? A drink of water, something to eat? I could plump your pillows for you if you want. I'm a really good pillow plumper. It's one of the things I'm good at." I babbled. She laughed.

"Now you remind me of your father. Constantly talking." She said. I smiled.

"I guess I got the best of both my parents." I joked. She laughed, then erupted into another violent coughing fit.

"I'm sorry mom." I apologised she shook her head.

"It's not your fault." She sighed.

"I'll try not to make you laugh." I said. She smiled, but I could tell she was still in pain. That's when a nurse walked in.

"Who are you? What are you doing in here?" she asked. My mom smiled.

"It's fine. This is my daughter, Ally." She whispered hoarsely.

"Oh, okay. Well I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, Ally. Your mother needs some rest. Come back tomorrow after five and you can see her." She instructed me. I nodded, saying goodbye to my mother and kissing her on the cheek.

"How did it go?" my dad asked me when I got back to the waiting room. I smiled a little, feeling my eyes well up a little.

"Well, it wasn't the perfect 'I missed you, I love you' reunion I was hoping for. But I never really expected that, anyway. It was great, actually. She didn't recognise me, but then we were talking and she said I reminded her of herself. Then she said I reminded her of you. And I made her laugh and she started coughing." I babbled. Dad grinned and put his arm around my shoulders.

"Sounds like you two had a good catch-up. Come on, let's get you home." He said.

"Wait. Can we come back tomorrow, sometime after five?" I asked him. He thought for a second, then shrugged.

"Yeah, if you want. We would have to leave as soon as you finished school, though. It's a long drive." He said. I shrugged.

"I don't care. I just want to see her." I sighed. He smiled.

"I know it took me a while to tell you, but I'm glad I did. I haven't seen you look so happy for a long time. I don't think I've seen you smile properly since before summer." He smiled. I felt guilty; I had been so depressed about the whole Dallas thing that I had been worrying my dad. I decided to change my attitude; new Ally Dawson, new attitude. I wasn't going to be hung up on Dallas Jones anymore. I wasn't going to mope around and make my dad worry. I was going to enjoy whatever time I had with my mother, and make sure she was as happy as she could possibly be before she died. And I could tell, just from the way she smiled at me and the twinkle in her eye when she mentioned my dad, that she wasn't going to be happy unless me and my father were happy too.

**Please review! :D Thanks so so so much!**


	9. Think About That Later

**Okay, so please don't hate me for it, btu I have sort of passed over the time with her mom and stuff...mostly because the good stuff wasn't coming any time soo, and because I have no idea how to write things like that, about her mom dying and stuff...it's really painful too, because even though I haven't been through anything like it, Thank Heavens, I can't bear to think of my mom like that...so I have rushed over it and been pretty vague, but not too badly I hope. **

**I'm so glad you liked the last chapter, thanks for all of the reviews! I read them all and appreciate them! Love you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :'(**

Chapter 9

The next two weeks passed in a blur. I visited my mom every other day, spent my time at school working hard to catch up on the work I had missed, and spent the days I wasn't visiting my mom hanging out with Trish and Austin. Not at the same time, of course. Trish would die if she found out I was sort-of friends with Austin. I say sort of because things were still a little awkward after the whole make-out session.

I still can't believe that happened; I mean, of course Austin in gorgeous. I knew that even when I hated him. But never in a million years would I dream of doing anything like that with him. And I'm even more surprised that he would do any of that with me. Even after he told me all that's tuff about him always liking me, (which I was still struggling to understand now), I couldn't understand why he would want to. I'm just me; plain old, boring Ally Dawson. I'm not even hot, not like all the other girls. So why would he like me?

I wanted to visit my mom every day, but she told me not to. She said that she didn't want me to distance myself from my friends for her, because then when she died I would have no-one to go to. I understood where she was coming from, but I still desperately wanted to spend more time with her.

"Hey, Ally? Are you okay?" Trish asked me, running up to me in the hall. It was lunch and I was on my way to the library. When you're in mostly AP classes, four days off school means a lot of catching up.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just tired, and I'm really busy. I have loads of work to do. I can't believe how much I missed over four days." I said exasperatedly.

"You never actually told me why you were off those days…was it because of what your dad told you?" she asked me. She had called me while I was staying at Austin's, and I had given her the full story, minus the part about me being with Austin. I think she assumed I just avoided my dad, and I was planning to allow her to think that until I was forced to tell her the truth.

"Well…I was just too stressed about the whole mom thing. I finally went back home on Tuesday, and-"

"Went back home? You mean you weren't at home? Where were you then?" she asked me. I froze.

"Erm, I was…I was staying at home, I just avoided my dad so much it felt like I wasn't." I tried to tell her, but she wasn't stupid enough to believe that for a second.

"Sure, whatever. Where were you really staying?" she asked.

"At a friend's house." I told her. She frowned.

"I thought I was your only friend?"

"Nope."

"Are you going to tell me who this other friend is?"

"Nope."

"Oh, okay. This isn't over, though." She said warningly. I nodded, relieved that, for the moment, she was letting it go.

"Okay. Well, I got home on Tuesday and talked it through with my dad. Then he took me to, erm…he took me to see my mom." I told her. Her eyes widened.

"Oh my God! I can't believe you didn't tell me all this!" she cried. I smiled softly.

"Yeah, I know. I've just been so busy, catching up with school and visiting her every other day…and the times I was hanging out with you, it just never came up." I shrugged.

"Okay. Well, you can fill me in now, I guess. Although I am a little hurt, Ally. I thought I was your best friend; you should have told me all this." She said. I felt guilty; for once Trish wasn't being sarcastic and sassy, so I knew I had hurt her deeply.

"I'm sorry Trish. You are my best friend, and I do trust you. I just…I haven't told anyone else. I've been so busy, I just haven't had time." I shrugged. That was an outright lie, but I think she believed it. I had told Austin everything; I'm not even sure why. I guess I just felt so comfortable around him, despite the ominous awkwardness; my relationship with Austin was complicated, no doubt about it, and there was no way Trish would understand if I tried to explain it right now. So I lied to her.

"Okay, well, I guess its fine. When are you going to see her again? I'm guessing you went yesterday, since you couldn't hang out with me, so are you going tomorrow?" she asked. I frowned.

"Erm, actually I didn't go yesterday. I'm going tonight." I told her. She frowned.

"Then what were you doing yesterday?"

"I was…erm…hanging out with someone else. A friend." I told her. She huffed.

"Is this the same friend you stayed with for five days?" she asked me. I nodded.

"Okay, seriously, who is this person? Are they your new best friend?" she asked, sounding pained. I shook my head.

"No! Trish, you're my best friend. I just…I already made plans with him…I mean them…ages ago."

"Aha! So it's a him! Do you have a secret boyfriend, Ally? Oh my God, please tell me it's not fucking Dallas!" she shouted that last part and I grimaced. We had arrived in the library and were sat at a table in the far corner. Luckily, the librarian hadn't heard. Probably because she was half deaf, but still, I was relieved.

"No, it's not Dallas. And no, it's not a secret boyfriend. He's just a friend." I shrugged.

"But it is the same guy you stayed with for five days…?"

"Yeah." I sighed. She squealed.

"Oh my God, you didn't!" she asked me, eyebrows raised. I shook my head fiercely.

"No, definitely not. Nothing like that. Seriously, we're just friends." I protested. She nodded.

"Sure, sure. So, please tell me, who is he?" she pleaded, but there was no need.

"Ally!" Austin called, waving as he bounded over.

"Erm, hey Austin." I replied, bowing my head as Trish turned to look at Austin, then back at me. I saw realisation dawn on her face.

"Oh my God! Austin is your new friend! You slept with Austin for five days!" she shouted. This earned a few glances from the other students in the library.

"No!" I shouted, grimacing. Austin just laughed.

"No, Trish. Ally would never sleep with me. She has higher standards than that." He said loudly, and I shot him a thankful and relieved glance. Then I felt guilty that he had said that.

"Thanks Austin. But don't put yourself down like that." I whispered to him as he sat down opposite me. Trish was just staring at him, open mouthed. Eventually he looked at her and sniggered.

"Look, Tish, I know I'm hot, but you're kinda freaking me out." He said to her. She shook her head and scowled, glancing at me angrily.

"I thought for a second maybe he had been in some kind of accident to completely change who he was. That was the only reasonable explanation I could come up with as to why you're even giving this jerk the time of day. But no! He's still the same obnoxious, arrogant twerp he's been every time I've spoken to him in the past. Which, trust me, wasn't very often." She said. I laughed.

"Look, Trish, I know that he seems like a jerk. Which he is. But he's also a great guy, and even though he still pisses me off sometimes, actually, quite a lot, he is a good friend." I told her truthfully.

"Still here, you know. And when do I piss you off?" he asked, feigning hurt.

"You're never on time and you say things then refuse to go through with them." I told him. He laughed, then looked at me weirdly.

"You weren't saying that last night…" he said, licking his lips and eyeing me suggestively. Trish burst out laughing and I slapped his arm.

"Seriously, Austin! That's another thing; you always make dirty jokes!" I complained. He laughed.

"It's because you're so hot, Ally. You bring out the worst in me…or the best, in some people's opinions." He added, grinning cockily. Trish laughed again and I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up Austin." I huffed, opening my calculus book.

"So, Tish, erm…how are you?" he asked awkwardly. I smiled; he was trying to talk to her civilly. Obviously he cares about our friendship if he's willing to try to get along with Trish for me.

"It's Trish, not Tish, and I was okay, until you turned up." She growled. Obviously she hadn't changed her opinion of him, even though she was laughing at him a moment ago.

"Sorry Trish." He said, shrugging. She eyed him suspiciously, then turned to me, obviously too weirded out by his apology to come up with a comeback.

"So, Ally…anything new gone down with you and Dal-I mean, you know who?" she asked, looking at Austin. I smiled.

"It's okay Trish. Austin knows all about Dallas." I sighed, not looking up from my calculus book. She rolled her eyes.

"Apparently Austin knows everything about you now, I don't know why I thought he wouldn't know." She groaned. I looked up.

"Sorry, Trish, but you had to go with your parents. If you hadn't you would have been the one I went to, and I never would have stayed with Austin. But you did, so I had to stay with Austin, and now we are friends. Deal with it." I said harshly, then went back to my studying.

"It's not my fault, Ally! Mom forced me to go!" she shouted at me.

"I never said it was your fault." I said calmly.

"Whatever. Ever since you and Austin became friends, you've been pushing me away. I don't even feel like I'm your best friend anymore." She said, a little quieter. I looked at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry if you feel that way, Trish. Just count yourself lucky that I only have one friend other than you. I think you're just too used to me only hanging out with you." I told her, trying to control my temper.

"Ally, in the last two weeks we've hung out twice!" she shouted again. I stood up, furious.

"Yeah, because I've been visiting my mom in the hospital! She's fucking dying, Trish! I'm sorry if I've been putting her first! But don't worry, she'll be dead soon anyway, then you'll have me all to yourself. Well, except for Austin of course, but apparently I'm not allowed other friends now, so I guess I'll just have to stop talking to him!" I ranted. By now everyone in the library was staring at us, even the librarian. She looked shocked, but that probably had more to do with us shouting than with what I was actually saying.

"I, erm…I'm sorry, Ally." She whispered softly. I could see that she meant it, but I was too angry to care.

"Whatever Trish." I sighed, grabbing my bag and shoving my book inside before slinging it over my shoulder and walking out.

"Ally, wait!" I heard someone call from behind me. I turned around and smiled lightly at Austin.

"Hey." I said weakly. He grabbed my elbows and looked me in the eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I tried to nod, but burst into tears instead. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him as I cried. There was no-one else in the hall to stop and ask what was wrong. Well, there wasn't; until the bell rang.

I didn't even register that the bell had gone at first. I was too busy crying into Austin's chest. Then I heard laughing and talking as people began to round the corner. They all froze when they saw me and Austin. I pulled away from him, wiping my eyes, and looked at them pointedly. He shrugged.

"I'm not in your next lesson; are you going to be okay?" he asked me quietly. I nodded, and he smiled comfortingly.

"You guys will make up. She was being stupid, and you have every right to be angry, okay?"

"Yeah." I sighed. He smiled and hugged me again.

"See you later then Als." He said, waving at me as he jogged down the hall, past the group of people gawking at us, and around the corner. I turned around to make my way to my next lesson, ignoring the whispering going on behind me.

"Ally! Wait!" someone called. I groaned, then turned around with a small smile on my face. It was Tilly Thompson. One of the popular kids.

"Hey Tilly. What's up?" I asked her wearily.

"Are you dating Austin Moon?" she asked. I laughed at the way she just came out with it. Then again, Tilly was never any good at subtlety.

"Nah, we're just friends." I shrugged.

"Sure, it really looked like you two were just friends. Stood in the middle of the hallway hugging each other. I frowned.

"I was crying, Tilly. As my friend, he was trying to make me feel better. Austin wouldn't date me anyway." I told her. She laughed.

"Well, of course we all know that. That's why we were all so shocked." She said. A year ago, that comment would have hurt. But knowing how completely wrong she was, it didn't bother me.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just not his type." I shrugged, trying to walk away. She grabbed my arm, holding a little tighter than necessary.

"Well, he does usually go for hot blonde sluts…and you are only one of those things." She said, smirking. I frowned, confused.

"Which one?" I asked her, not sure I wanted to know.

"You're a slut." She said, and I gasped.

"What? No I'm not!" I protested. She laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Sure you're not." She said sarcastically.

"I'm not! What makes you think I'm a slut?" I asked her.

"Oh come off it. Dallas told everyone all about your 'summer romance'. Usually it's the guy who seduces someone and leaves them. Frankly, I'm surprised at you. I always thought you were a good girl." She said condescendingly.

"What exactly did Dallas tell you?" I asked her, feeling my eyes well up.

"Just that you pretended to be in love with him so that he would sleep with you, and then you left him, refusing to speak to him again." She said. I couldn't believe it.

"That lying bastard! I'm going to kill him!" I muttered. Tilly laughed.

"Don't you think you've hurt him enough?" she asked.

"I never hurt him! He's lying! That's what he did to me! He slept with me then left me!" I protested. She rolled her eyes.

"How pathetic. Seriously? Well, I wouldn't count on being able to do that to Austin…he'd never sleep with you anyway. And he's definitely not the kind of guy to fall in love with you." She said.

"I wasn't planning to do that to Austin. I never did that to Dallas! Austin and I are friends, and Dallas broke my heart."

"Why don't you just give it up? No-one is going to believe you, Ally. It's obvious that you've changed." She shrugged. I turned and walked away then, not wanting to cry in front of her.

"Walking away from me won't change the fact that you're a slut, Ally." She called after me, and I heard laughter. I ran into an empty classroom, curled up in the corner, and cried until I couldn't cry anymore. Then I stayed there for a little longer and thought about everything.

Eventually the end of school bell rang. I was surprised that no-one had found me, but relieved at the same time. I knew this would only mean more catching up, but I didn't care. I walked out of school as fast as I could, wanting to avoid the crowds, and dad picked me up to take me to the hospital. I sighed with relief at getting away from there. My senior year was supposed to be a breeze. I was supposed to work my socks off, get the best results possible and leave school on a happy note.

Now I had lost my best friend, had to face the guy who broke my heart, had to deal with losing the mother I only just found and, to top it all off, the entire school thought I was a slut and a bitch, thanks to the guy I hated most in the world.

I didn't think about the positives, like how I now had another great friend, and how I now knew that my mother hadn't just abandoned me. I was too depressed about the bad things in my life to think about the good things.

"How was school then, Ally?" my dad asked me after a few minutes of silence. I sighed, deciding to lie. I didn't want him to worry. He had enough on his plate with mom and his work.

"It was fine, dad." I told him, smiling brightly. He didn't realise it was faked.

"Good. I love seeing you so happy, Ally. Your mom does too. She says she's glad I did tell you, and that she has met you. She still worries about how you'll take it when she, you know…" he sighed. I smiled sadly.

"We'll think about that later, yeah? For now I just want to enjoy the time I have with my mom." I told him. He nodded, and we didn't speak for the rest of the drive.

**Please review! :D**


	10. Curling Up With Ice Cream and a Movie

**OMG I am so so so sorry! I have no idea how this happened, I was sure I got the right one...oh well, I hope you forgive me! I did upload the right one, just published the wron one. It wont happen again!**

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews guys! I love reading them so much! You make my day!**

**I hope you like this chapter, it's a little longer than usual but that's got to be a good thing, right? **

**Glad you like the story, thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line. **

**Oh, and by the way, I sort of skimmed over this part too. i just couldn't imagine what this would be like, and I don't really want to try, so I've done my best and tried to be realistic as possible, and at some times this has made me tear up...hopefully that's a good sign... **

Chapter 10

The doctor's had said mom had a week left, tops. I knew it was to be expected, obviously. But hearing them say that just tore my heart in two. She had hung on for longer than expected, and when they said she had a week it was almost two months after they said she had a month. So you never know, they could be wrong about this one too. But I doubt it. The last couple of times I have visited her I've noticed that she seems distant, and sometimes she looks at me like she doesn't know who I am.

Which is why I've started visiting her every night, and each time I have sat there, holding her hand and talking to her until the nurse comes in and physically makes me leave. I've been in tears a lot too. I've been sat in a lesson and something has reminded me for her and I have just burst out crying. Everyone seems worried about me, the teachers acting differently and students I have never spoken to asking me if I need help. Ever since the episode in the library, the news has travelled fast. Most people don't know what's wrong with her, but pretty much everyone knows my mom is dying. The one good thing that has come out of it, though, is that no-one has said anything to me about the Dallas thing.

I cried myself to sleep every night after the doctors told me that. Sometimes I even caught my dad crying too, and I knew that this was just the beginning. Once she actually died, things were going to be so much worse. I had only known her for a couple of months, but I loved her like a mother, and to have that taken away from me so soon would tear me apart.

When we got the call from the hospital telling us we might want to get there as soon as possible, we packed a bag each and left. I didn't care about school, and I didn't care about my friends. All I cared about was the apologetic tone of the woman's voice when she told us to go to the hospital. All I cared about was seeing my mom for one last time.

When we go there I had to wait outside for a moment to make sure I wouldn't cry when I got inside. I didn't want to worry her, make her sad and angry during the little time she had left. The nurse gave us a quick briefing, telling us not to be too shocked by her appearance. Apparently her condition deteriorated severely and they were doing everything they could. I braced myself before I walked through the door, and when I saw her looking at me I smiled like nothing was wrong. Surprisingly it was easy. Probably because I knew that if I showed my sadness and pain, it would hurt her more.

"Hey Ally." She croaked, her voice faint and weak.

"Hey mom. How you feeling?" I asked her.

"Not great." She sighed.

"I'm sure you'll feel better soon." I said, smiling at her comfortingly. She nodded.

"I'm sure. So, how has school been?" she asked me. I didn't remind her that she had asked me that when I visited the day before, and that it was Saturday today. I just told her school was fine, that I was doing really well. And as I was talking, she was smiling. And then her eyes drifted closed, and I had to do my best to keep talking like nothing was wrong, because I didn't want to upset her. I could tell that she was in pain, so I let her fall asleep. Once I was sure she was sleeping, I stopped talking. And then I watched the screen that showed her heart rate. I watched and watched as the beeps became less frequent, until, finally, they stopped altogether.

When I heard the elongated beep that I had come to know well from movies and TV I knew that was it. My mother was gone. And I finally let the tears fall. I wasn't just crying about my mom dying; I was crying about not having her around for all those years; I was crying about falling in love and having my heart broken; I was crying about people thinking the worst of me; I was crying because I had maybe lost my best friend; and I was crying about how my life has gone from just a little messed up to very messed up in the space of two months.

A nurse ran in and checked for her pulse, and then started asking me questions. I knew it was no use, though. I knew, deep down, that there was no saving her. She was gone. But at least now she wouldn't be in pain. She wouldn't have to live every day knowing that there's every chance it's her last. And she died happy. She died with me, her daughter, smiling and talking. That was all I could do for her, and I seriously hope it's enough.

My dad had been sat in a chair at the end of the bed all the time I was talking. He didn't say anything, he just sat there and stared at her. Even when she died, I saw his eyes well up and tears start sliding down his cheeks, but he didn't say anything and he didn't move a muscle.

And that was how we sat, just looking at my mom, while the nurse bustled around doing God-knows-what.

Eventually they made us leave, and dad had to go into some office and sort something out. Funeral arrangements, I think. After about ten minutes he came back out, looking upset and stressed.

"Look, Ally, there's a lot to sort out here and it's going to take a while. I could leave it and come back tomorrow, unless you want to get someone to pick you up?" he suggested. I shrugged, not really listening. He sighed.

"Ally, give me your phone. Can Trish drive?" he asked me. I shook my head.

"Okay, what's his name. I'll call him." He said.

"Austin." I mumbled. He found my contact list and, after a little fumbling, managed to call him.

"Hello, this is Lester, Ally's dad. Could you come pick her up? Yeah, we're…" I zoned out, not caring about what he was talking about. I vaguely picked up on the fact that Austin was coming to pick me up and he was going to take me home. Then I fell asleep.

…

I woke up to the sounds of a car engine and a stereo playing softly. I was disoriented for a moment. Then I saw Austin smile softly at me and I remembered.

"Hey Als. Are you okay?" he asked.

"My mom just died. I'm peachy." I said sarcastically. He winced.

"Sorry." Then he reached across me and opened the glove compartment, pulling out a white box. I wondered what it was for a second, but then he opened it and pulled out a cigarette. I rolled my eyes.

"Do you have to smoke?" I asked him. He looked at me.

"Do you really care?" he asked. I sighed, shaking my head.

"Usually I would, but right now, I can't be bothered to give a shit about whether you keep killing yourself or not." I shrugged. He sighed, but put the cigarette back anyway. I smiled softly.

"So, how are you holding out?" he asked me.

"I just want to cry. But I can't." I sighed. He frowned for a second, then smiled like he had an idea. I looked at him, confused, as he pulled the car up on the side of the road ad turned to me, holding out his arms.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"Come here, Ally. You need a hug. You need someone who cares, to comfort you. I'm here, and I'm offering to be that person." He said, looking at me hopefully. I was doubtful

"Come on, Ally. Don't leave me hanging." He said softly, joking. I appreciated his effort, and I leaned forward to hug him just because he was there for me, and I was so incredibly grateful. But as soon as I felt his comforting warmth, I broke down. I buried my face in his chest and cried. He pulled me over so I was sat in his lap, which was a lot more comfortable than leaning over the hand break. I curled up, holding him tight, and cried my eyes out. He sat there and let me cry, stroking my hair comfortingly. I knew that if she could drive, Trish would be here for me right now, argument or not. But the point was that she wasn't, and Austin was, and right then Austin was my best and only friend in the entire world. I had felt so alone when I heard that machine beep, telling me I had lost my mom for good. And now here he was. I wasn't alone anymore. So it only felt right that once I had managed to stop crying, I turned my head up and kissed him. He froze in surprise for a second, before relaxing and kissing me back. I sighed. This wasn't like the last time; that had been lust, pure and simple, with maybe a couple other confusing feelings mixed in.

This, however, was so much more than that. I could taste the salt of my tears, and I could feel Austin's comfortable warmth. This was a comfort kiss. This was his way of making me feel better. His hands stayed firmly on my waist, and mine stayed wrapped around his torso. We weren't looking for anything more than each other. And that was what we had.

…

I vaguely remember us pulling away and smiling at each other. Then I think I must have got back into the passenger seat and gone to sleep, because the next thing I knew we were pulling up outside my house. Austin looked at me, and smiled comfortingly.

"We're here. Erm, your phone went off while you were asleep. I think it was a text. I didn't want to wake you up…" he said sadly. I nodded, unlocking it and opening my inbox. It was from dad.

_**Staying overnight. Turns out there's a lot of paperwork involved in funeral arrangements. I'll be back late tomorrow. Tell Austin to stay the night…I'm trusting you, though, Ally. Don't do anything stupid. Love you.**_

I text him back a 'yeah, fine, love you too', and turned to Austin. I opened my mouth to ask him, but I couldn't get the words out. Instead I just handed him the phone. He read the text and rolled his eyes.

"As if I was planning to leave you. Who does your dad think I am?" he said I a 'duh' tone of voice. I smiled.

"Thank you, Austin. For everything." I said, looking him in the eyes. He smiled, blushing a little.

"It's nothing. What are friends for, right?" he said, punching me on the shoulder lightly.

"You're more than a friend to me, Austin." I muttered quietly.

"What?" he asked. I was relieved that he hadn't heard me.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter." I shrugged, and he obviously decided not to push me.

"Come on then. Let's go inside." He said, opening the door and climbing out. I did the same and slammed it closed. He winced, but said nothing. He knew I needed to get my anger out somehow, and I guess he was just glad it was his car and not him.

We went inside, him wrapping his arm around my waist protectively, and he made me sit down on the couch in my room.

"Okay, now, I am going to get you some ice cream and hot cocoa. Then we are going to put on a movie, any movie you want, and we're going to snuggle up under some blankets and you can cry as much as you want to, okay?" he said, and I nodded, already feeling the tears start spilling.

"You act like you've done this before." I smiled. He frowned.

"Well…I have." He admitted. I was shocked; he had never told me this before.

"What? When?" I asked him, voice low and guilty.

"When my sister died. My mom was exactly like you are now." He told me. I got up and hugged him then, tightly. I was shocked, but I knew asking questions would just upset him.

"I had no idea your sister died, Austin. It's one thing to have to help someone through this kind of thing once, let alone twice. You're amazing, Austin." I told him. He shrugged.

"It's nothing. I mean, sure, it hurts. I hate the fact that I've had to see two girls I love cut up like this. I wish I didn't have to see one. But I'm not going to leave someone I love to deal with this alone, Ally." He whispered. We were still holding each other. I smiled.

"You love me?" I asked him.

"More than I ever thought I would love anyone." He whispered.

"I thought you didn't believe in love?" I asked him.

"I didn't, until I saw your face when I picked you up. Your make-up had run, your eyes were red and puffy, you were deathly pale…and you were still the most beautiful girl I have ever seen." He told me. I felt a fresh bout of tears pour down my face.

"You can't be in love with me, though. We've been friends for two months, Austin." I whispered disbelievingly. He shrugged again.

"Love doesn't work to a schedule, Ally. Love follow's its own rules. Sometimes it's late, sometimes it's early. But it always knows how to make an entrance." He explained. I giggled.

"Sounds a lot like you." I pointed out.

"You're right." He said, surprised.

"I'm glad you feel that way, anyway. Because I think I love you too." I said softly. He finally pulled us out of our embrace to look me in the eyes, searching for any trace of doubt. He found none, as I knew he would, and grinned. Then he kissed me, and pulled away.

"I'm going to go get you your ice-cream." He said, smiling. I smiled back.

"Don't forget the hot cocoa!" I replied. He saluted me.

"Right you are, ma'am. Mustn't forget the hot cocoa. The survival of the planet depends on it." He joked, and I laughed. Then, once he left the room, I cried again. I felt guilty about smiling and being happy when my mother had died only a few hours ago.

I curled up in a ball on my couch, before deciding that I couldn't just sit here and feel miserable. This was exactly what my mother wanted to avoid, and she separated herself from the ones she loved the most for all those years to avoid it. I knew it would kill her, (again), to see me like this, so I grabbed some comfy clothes and stripped down to my underwear. Of course, Austin chose that moment to walk in. I would have been embarrassed, but he had seen, and felt, it all before. I just smiled at him as his eyes widened and pulled on my sweats and a baggy McKenzie shirt.

"I got you some fruity mint swirl and some of your favourite hot cocoa." He said, eyes sparkling as he held out the mug and tub of ice cream. I beamed.

"How did you know these were my favourites?" I asked him.

"Well, the ice-cream was easy. The fruity mint swirl is colourful and fun and delicious, just like you. I just kinda sensed it was your favourite. With the hot cocoa, I kinda figured your dad wasn't one to drink a lot of hot cocoa, so I guessed that yours was the tub with the least in it. Was I right?" he asked, looking at me hopefully as I took a cautious sip. Not only was it the right one, but he had put cold water in it too, just like I always did. I smiled.

"It's perfect." I sighed. He laughed.

"You have a moustache, Ally." He laughed. I grinned, putting down my drink and ice-cream and stepping towards him.

"You want a moustache too?" I asked him, then without waiting for and answer I kissed him. When I pulled away, he also had a chocolate moustache.

"Al-ly." He groaned. I giggled.

"Don't worry, it's easy to get rid of it. Just lick it off. It tasted divine." I smiled. He leant towards me and I thought he was going to kiss me again. Instead, he licked my upper lip. I squealed.

"Eww!" I jumped back, wiping my mouth.

"What? You told me to lick it off…" he said, playing innocently.

"I meant yours!" I gasped. He smiled.

"I can't quite reach, though." He complained, pretending like he couldn't reach it with his tongue.

"Then I guess you're screwed, bad boy, because I'm not licking you." I told him, laughing. He looked sad.

"Aw, but Al-ly…!" he moaned. I rolled my eyes and turned around.

"Come on, I wanna watch a movie." I sighed. I thought of my mom again, and felt myself tear up. I stopped myself from crying, though, by repeating '_don't let her down, don't let her down, don't let her down' _to myself. I grabbed my comforter and tossed Austin a couple of blankets, then sat down on the couch and gestured for him to sit next to me.

"Let me put the movie on first." He said, laughing as I blushed.

"Oh, yeah. Movie…forgot." I murmured.

"Which one?" he asked, walking over to my collection. I thought for a moment, but there was never really a question in my mind.

"Music and Lyrics." I said. He looked at me, raising one eyebrow in question.

"What?"

"That seems like a strange choice…I was expecting something like Titanic." He shrugged. I groaned.

"I love Titanic, but I am not watching such a sad movie right now. Besides, Music and Lyrics has always been one of my favourite-scratch that, my favourite-movie of all time. Don't you like it?" I said, smiling brightly.

"I've never seen it." He shrugged. I gasped.

"Oh my God! Then it's settled; we're watching it." I sighed. He didn't complain as he put the movie on and settled down next to me to watch it. About halfway through, I couldn't do it anymore, and I found myself breaking down again. Austin wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back.

"Finally." He whispered. I frowned, confused.

"Finally what?"

"I've been waiting for this since I put the movie on. Ally, I know people always say that your mom wouldn't want you to be like this, to be heartbroken, but they're wrong. Well, they're not wrong; of course she wouldn't. But you still get to cry, Ally. No matter how much it would hurt her, it's going to drive you mad if you hold it all in and refuse to be weak. I know from experience…that was what my mom did. After the first couple of days, she stopped crying. She tried to forget about Addison, didn't even go to her funeral. But it cut her up inside. She eventually turned to other things to ease her pain…like alcohol. So did my dad, eventually. They stopped loving each other, but they're still together for some unknown reason. Every day, I see her die a little more. I can't let you do that to yourself, Ally. I just can't. Your mom would rather see you cry than see you go insane." He explained.

I was crying even harder, for him and for his parents and for Addison, his sister whom I had never even met, never even heard of, but I cried for her anyway. Eventually I ran out of tears and I just lay there. I heard his heartbeat slow and when I knew he was asleep, I finally let myself drift off to the sound of his breathing.

**Ooooh...finding out more about Austin now! Gotta love that! Hope you think I did the death scene justice...it was so hard to write, I hope I did okay :)**

**Please review! :D**


	11. Singing Along To Demi Lovato

**I. Am. So. Sorry. About. Last. Chapter. **

**I guess I was just so tured and stuff, but thank you so much for teh reviews letting me know I had mixed it up! And most of those said 'I love the story anyway' or somehting along those lines, so thank you! I swear, I will try my very very best to not ever let it happen again! I promise! If it does you can feel free to give me a proper lecture, rant and rave and stuff because I deserve it...**

**I love the reviews and I love you guys for reading the story! Thanks so much! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line, sadly. :(**

**BTW: I am really sorry about all the stupid mistakes I make. Mostly in the A/N's, because spellcheck usually sorts it out while I'm writing, but I type, literally, so fast it's untrue! And sometimes if Im typing I will look away and start talking to someone and still be typing without even realising, and it actually usually comes out right! Which is an amazing skill, but sometimes I do need to slow down and check my work I guess! Feel free to scold me as much as you like! :D**

Chapter 11

I woke up to the smell of bacon. For a minute I didn't remember what had happened, and I made my way downstairs, expecting to see my dad in the kitchen. I froze when I saw Austin stood there, shirt off, sweatpants pulled low over his hips to show the top of his Calvin Klein boxers. I felt myself drooling, before I snapped out of it. A bunch of theories ran through my mind, before I finally remembered everything that had happened. I sighed in relief, making Austin jump and fling a pancake into the air. I laughed as he looked up and got hit in the face as it fell back down. **(A/N: Cliché, I know. Sorry. I just had to.)**

"Aw, dammit." He groaned, wiping sloppy pancake off his face. He turned around and I saw it was all down his torso.

"You look like someone threw up on you." I giggled. He smirked evilly.

"How about a hug, Al-ly?" he said innocently, elongating my name, which I found strangely sexy. I stepped backwards.

"No, I think I'm okay…" I said, stepping back again as he came closer. He grinned.

"But I thought you loved me? Besides, that was a perfectly good pancake you wasted." He complained. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh my God, I am so ashamed. I deserve to be locked up. I cannot believe I murdered an innocent pancake. And in cold blood, too. So ashamed." I mocked him. He glared at me, and for a second I thought he was really angry. Then I saw that familiar twinkle in his eyes, and I knew he was suppressing a laugh.

"Don't take the piss out of pancakes. You can take the piss out of me all you like, but when it comes to pancakes I draw the line." He said seriously, continuing to walk towards me. I kept walking backwards, and then I stumbled. I tried to regain my balance, but to no avail. I felt myself fall to the floor, landing on my ass with an 'oof'.

Austin collapsed with laughter, sinking to his knees and holding his stomach. I glared at him.

"That hurt." I snapped angrily. He looked up at me, wiping tears from his eyes.

"You hurt me. That pancake was hot." He pointed out. I sighed, rolling my eyes at him for a second time.

"Touché, Moon. Now help me up." I sighed, holding out my hand. He laughed and pulled me up, getting to his own feet at the same time. When I was steadily back on my feet I tried to pull my hand back, but he smirked at me and pulled me to him for a hug. I felt wet pancake mix soak through my shirt, but I didn't really care. My other hand went to his chest and I started tracing the lines of his abs. He moaned and kissed me, and I tasted pancakes. I was surprised; it was really good.

"Mmm, that tastes good." I sighed, pulling away. His eyebrows rose.

"It's a gift." He joked, shrugging his shoulders. I laughed.

"Not you, the pancakes." I chuckled.

"What, haven't you ever had pancakes before?" he asked me.

"Not since my mom left." I said, then instantly felt saddened. He stepped forward and hugged me tenderly.

"Sorry, Ally." He said. I shook my head.

"Not your fault. Have you made any more pancakes?" I asked him hopefully. He shook his head.

"No, I had to cook the bacon first, then the pancakes. I've never been good at multi-tasking, and I really didn't want to burn down your kitchen. That was the first one." He sighed. I smiled bravely, stepping closer to whisper in his ear.

"Then I guess I'll just have to make do with what I've got…" I breathed. He frowned, confused, until I trailed a finger down his chest and licked it. I smiled.

"Mmm…" I said seductively. He groaned.

"Ally…why do you have to torture me?" he whispered huskily. I laughed.

"I'd hardly call this 'torture'." I said, repeating the gesture. He grabbed my hand inches away from my mouth.

"Whenever you touch me, it's torture." He whispered. I giggled, suddenly moving my hand to wipe the pancake batter on his lips. He licked them, and I felt myself shiver.

"I, erm…I guess I'm sorry. I could stop touching you…" I suggested quietly. He scoffed.

"I'd rather be tortured by you every day for the rest of my life than have to go without you." He whispered, before kissing me again. I smiled into his lips, moving my hand to play with the band of his boxers. He let go of me to free his hands and I groaned at the trails of heat they left as he slid them underneath my top and up my back. I tangled my free hand in his hair to pull him closer.

I gasped as he suddenly turned us around and hoisted me up to sit on the counter, my legs wrapped around his waist. We were so preoccupied we didn't hear the front door open, only springing apart at the sound of my father clear his throat.

I looked away from his angry face guiltily and slid down from the counter. Austin looked embarrassed too, but kept an arm around my waist supportively.

"One night, Ally, I trusted you for one night…your mother died yesterday, Ally! How could you…do you even care? Or do you care more about shacking up with your boyfriend that grieving over your mother?" he yelled at me. I was shocked at his harsh words, feeling the tears well up as Austin pulled me closer protectively.

"Mr Dawson, you're being unreasonable-" Austin started, but my dad cut him off.

"Don't you dare speak to me, young man! Taking advantage of my daughter in her fragile state; you disgust me. You should be ashamed of yourself. I want you out of here. Now." He said, voice low and furious.

"No, dad, he wasn't-that's not what it is!" I protested. He just glared at me.

"I knew you were naïve, Ally, but seriously? Aren't you smarter than this? This boy is using you, Ally; inviting you to stay in his house, jumping at the chance to stay here overnight. He only wants one thing Ally; a girl as smart as you should be able to figure that out!" he shouted. Austin stepped forward, fuming. I grabbed him around the stomach to hold him back.

"I would never use Ally for anything, Mr Dawson. You have this all wrong. I love her, and I'll admit we got carried away, but you have no right to start judging me. You don't even know me." He growled. My dad just went redder, if that's even possible.

"I wasn't born yesterday, young man. I've raised Ally as a single parent for a long time, and I know her well enough to realise that she has changed lately; ever since she started associating with you." He yelled. That was when I snapped.

"Actually, dad, I started changing before that. Right around the time I fell in love with a guy who had sex with me and then refused to speak to me! And no, it wasn't Austin. It was a guy called Dallas. Anyway, I came home and I acted like everything was fine, for your sake! I didn't want you to have to live knowing that I was hurt like that. And everything was fine; until that same Dallas turned up at Miami High. That was when I started changing, Dad. But you were too busy keeping your stupid little secret about mom to notice! If anything, Austin is the one thing that stopped me from going completely off the rails." I shouted. His face paled and his mouth opened in shock. Even Austin was staring at me in surprised, but then he squeezed me in comfort.

"I-you-Ally, get out." He said lowly. At first, I didn't think I had heard him right.

"What?"

"I said, get out. And take your stupid little boyfriend with you. And when he does exactly the same thing to you, don't bother come crying to me." He growled, venom lacing his voice. I wanted to cry. I wanted to fall to my knees and cry. First my mom dies, and now my dad is kicking me out. He hates me, I know he does. But I kept my composure, mostly out of pride.

"But dad…I'm sorry." I whispered, voice hoarse. His expression softened momentarily, but then he went back to being stony faced.

"I told you to get out!" he shouted, and I nodded, walking forwards. He moved to let me and Austin past him, then stopped us as we went to the front door.

"Don't you want to get some stuff? I'm assuming you're going to stay at his place, so don't you need clothes? Unless, you know, you don't bother with those." He said venomously. I gaped; this was not the father I had grown up with. Something inside him had snapped, and I hated that it was my fault it had.

"I-I'll go get some clothes." I murmured, pulling myself away from Austin. He followed me up into my room anyway, slamming the door behind him.

"The only thing stopping me from knocking that guy out is the fact that he's your father." He hissed. I looked at him, opening my mouth to say something, but all that came out was a muffled croak as I burst into tears and buried my head in his chest. He hugged me tightly, then walked me over to the couch. I sat down and hugged a pillow to my chest.

"I'll pack you a bag, and then we can go, okay? You won't need much; he'll be calling and apologising on a few days, I guarantee." He said comfortingly, but I shook my head.

"I don't think so. I've seen him angry before, Austin. But never this angry. He hates me, I know it. He'll never forgive me." I sobbed, burying my head in the pillow. He hugged me again, whispering in my ear.

"He doesn't hate you, Ally. No-one could hate you."

I watched him through my hair as he went through my drawers, too depressed to even manage a blush as he went through my underwear drawer. I did laugh a little when he held up a really skimpy, lacy number Trish bought me as a joke a year or two ago. I laughed even more when he slipped it into the bag and licked his lips. Then I thought of my dad, and stopped laughing. He sighed, muttering something about a 'disgusting, selfish bastard' under his breath.

I was thankful to see that my dad had gone into the lounge as we walked back down the stairs, hand in hand, my bag of clothes slung over Austin's shoulder. I suddenly remembered something, and darted into the bathroom and grabbed a box of, erm, 'lady things' to slide into the bag. Austin took one look at the box and paled, making me stifle a giggle. Guys.

We got into his car and he threw my bag onto the back seat and slammed the door shut, taking out his barely-contained fury on his car, just like I had done the night before. I smiled at him softly.

"Calm down, Austin, please. You're scaring me." I whispered. He glanced at me, all the anger fading from his face as he started the car.

"Sorry Ally, I just…I hate seeing anyone hurt you, especially someone I know that you love so much. And the things he was saying about me…I know I don't have the best reputation with girls, but I'm not like that. I don't lead them on and break their hearts. And I would never do that to you. I love you, and it was so hard hearing him say those things…" he explained. I smiled at him, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. He visibly relaxed.

"I love you too, and I get it. But you need to stay calm, before you drive us off the road." I said, looking pointedly at the speed gauge. We were ten mph over the limit, and counting. He slowed down quickly, looking apologetic.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly. I shrugged, before letting go of his hand so he could reach the gearstick.

I leant back in the seat and sighed, closing my eyes. I jumped when he turned the radio on and it was loud, but he turned it down quickly. We listened to a couple adverts before a song came on. I grinned at the opening chords, instantly recognising one oof my all-time favourites.

_**Hmmmm yea yea yeaaa**_

_**You know where I come from**_

_**You know my story**_

_**You know why I'm standing here**_

_**Tonight**_

_**Please don't go**_

_**Don't be in a hurry**_

_**I'm here to make it clear**_

_**Make it right**_

_**Well I know I've acted foolish**_

_**But I promise you no more**_

_**I've finally found that something**_

_**Worth reaching for**_

_**I'm not here to say I'm sorry**_

_**I'm not here to lie to you**_

_**I'm here to say I'm ready**_

_**That I've finally thought it through**_

_**I'm not here to let your love go**_

_**I'm not giving up oh no**_

_**I'm here to win your heart and soul**_

_**That's my goal**_

_**Please don't go**_

_**You know that I need you**_

_**I can't breathe without you**_

_**Live without you**_

_**Be without you**_

_**Well I know I've acted foolish**_

_**But I promise you no more**_

_**No more**_

_**I'm not here to say I'm sorry**_

_**I'm not here to lie to you**_

_**I'm here to say I'm ready**_

_**That I've finally thought it through**_

_**I'm not here to let your love go**_

_**I'm not giving up oh no**_

_**I'm here to win your heart and soul**_

_**That's my goal**_

_**Well I won't stop believing**_

_**That we will be leaving together**_

_**So when I say I love you**_

_**I'll mean it forever and ever**_

_**Ever and ever**_

_**I'm not here to say I'm sorry**_

_**I'm not here to say I'm sorry**_

_**I'm not here to lie to you**_

_**I'm here to say I'm ready**_

_**That I've finally thought it through**_

_**(Oh I'm ready)**_

_**I'm not here to let your love go**_

_**I'm not giving up oh no**_

_**I'm here to win your heart and soul**_

_**(That's why I'm here babe)**_

_**Yes I'm here to win your heart and soul**_

_**That's my goal**_

_**That's my goal **_

I sang along to the entire song, not realising until I was finished that Austin was singing too. We looked at each other and grinned.

"I love that song so much." I said happily. He nodded.

"Wow. No-one else I know even knows it, since it's a British one. I watched The X Factor online every year; I love music so much, and none of the American shows are nearly as good." He said, smiling. I nodded in agreement.

"I love it too. I like The X Factor USA too, but it's just not quite the same…" I sighed. He nodded.

"Yeah, I agree. Then again, apparently Demi Lovato is on the judging panel this year, and that girl is one sexy piece of woman." He growled. I felt jealousy flare up for a second, but I had to agree.

"I love her. She's such an amazing artist, and her story is just…inspiring." I said. He nodded.

"Yeah, I agree." He smiled. **(A/N; Sorry, I just had to. Had to. I love Demi Lovato so much, she is my idol and my inspiration. I had to get some love for her in here somewhere. Just had to. Oh, and in case you didn't know, she really is a judge on The X Factor USA…and they say Disney stars never go anywhere once they leave Disney…or get fired, in her case. But she rocks the whole 'being fired' thing, so yeah! And it was just Disney being stupid, and judging her because she went to rehab and whatever...it was the best thing that ever happened to her anyway, so... )**

When we got to Austin's house he sighed.

"I think my dad will be asleep, so you shouldn't have to deal with him, but you never know with my mom." He sighed. I shrugged. When I stayed with him all that time ago, I hadn't had to face either of his parents awake since that first encounter with his dad.

"I'll be okay, Austin. My mom just died, and my dad just kicked me out. I can deal with a couple of drunks." I sighed, then winced, glancing at him apologetically. He laughed.

"Wow, Ally. Blunt."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to come out like that." I sighed. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close as we walked up his driveway.

"It's okay. That's what they are. Besides, I know you didn't mean it to hurt me." I smiled, relieved that he wasn't upset.

**Please review!**

**P.S; Sorry about my Demi rants...I wrote this on her birthday, the 20th August btw, so I was in a very Demi mood, so yeah...idm if you ignored it, but if you didnt, every word is still true ;)**


	12. Finally Meeting Mrs Moon

**Thank you for the reviews, guys! Loves you all! :)**

**Hope you like this chapter, please let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing but the plot line...:'(**

**PLEASE READ A/N AT THE BOTTOM!**

Chapter 12

His dad was snoring loudly in his chair, a beer can in his hand, as we tiptoed past him and up the stairs. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to avoid his mom.

I hadn't seen her before, but was expecting a middle-aged woman, maybe a little overweight, blonde and washed out. But she was the complete opposite. In fact, she looked a lot like Austin. Only her hair was a really dark brown, almost black, and her eyes were blue. I was confused; his dad wasn't blonde, nor did he have blonde hair, and apparently neither did his mom. Other than that, though, they were almost exactly alike. Her features were just a little softer, and she had a different nose.

She was tall and skinny, like Austin, and her hair and clothes were impeccable. I struggled to believe that she was a drunk. Until she spoke, that is.

"Hey, Aaron. This your girrrlfriend?" she slurred. I winced when she got his name wrong, knowing that would hurt him deeply.

"It's Austin, mom, and yeah. This is Ally." I was a little surprised. We hadn't officially named ourselves a couple, but I guess we were. She smiled at me, her eyes glazed over and distant.

"Hi, Mrs Moon." I said softly, not meeting her eyes.

"Ooh, we have a shy one. Don't hurrrrt her too much, Aussie. Shee's a reeal beauty." She smiled. I couldn't help but smile at the compliment, and I noticed that underneath the slurring she had a Texan accent.

"I won't, mom. See you later." He said, kissing her on the cheek quickly and brushing past her. I followed him, turning around to watch her stumble towards the staircase. When we got to his room Austin slammed the door and said he was sorry.

"What for?" I asked him.

"Her. She's a little…" he struggled for an adjective, so I supplied one.

"Drunk?"

"Yeah. Drunk. She's a little drunk." He sighed, falling onto his bed.

"You look like her. In the face, I mean. Your hair and eyes are different though. And you look nothing like your dad." I said. He snorted.

"Good. I'm glad I don't look like that bastard. Anyway, that's no surprise. He's not my biological father. My mom had me when she was fifteen, you see. The guy was in his thirties and he buggered off after he slept with her. Never even found out she was pregnant. She was planning to give me up, when my dad came along. Three weeks before she had me, she was in a club with her friends and he offered to buy her a drink. She refused, gesturing to her stomach, and apparently he still hit on her. He was ten years older than her, but she knew he was the one. She kept me, and then four years later had another baby. My sister, Addison." He sighed, his voice hitching as he said her name.

"You never did tell me about her…" I said softly. He looked at me, and smiled.

"She was the most beautiful, amazing, smart and witty eight year old in the world. She was my best friend. We hung out all the time; jamming out to our favourite songs, taking the piss out of people who thought they could sing. She used to watch The X Factor with me. She always sang along with the contestants and applauded them, as if they could hear her. Whether they were amazing or complete crap, she clapped and hooted like they had already won. She's the reason I like music so much. She's also the reason I stopped taking it seriously. We always wanted to be a duo, get famous overnight. When she died…I couldn't do it anymore." He shrugged, tearing up. I hugged him, kissing him softly.

"I'm glad you told me that." I thanked him. He frowned.

"Aren't you going to ask how she died?" he asked, his breath catching on the last word. I shrugged.

"I trust that you'll tell me when you feel like it. I don't want to pry."

"She was staying at a friend's house, for a party. Mom was going to pick her up on the way home from work, but she had to stay late. Dad had had too much to drink, although he wasn't a drunk at this point. He just liked to have a drink on a Friday night. Mom almost never drank. Anyway, her friend's mom said it was fine, she would just have to squeeze four of them into the back seat. It was late and dark, so no-one would notice. Addison was on one side, right by the door, with her best friend next to her and then two more girls on the other end. There was another girl in the front seat. Anyway, she was going to drop Addison off first, and she pulled up on the sidewalk a couple doors down from our place, so she didn't; block any driveways. Addison was on the wrong side, so she had to get out onto the road. But she didn't even get a chance to get out. As she was undoing her seatbelt, some guy crashed into the side of them, crushing the door Addison was about to open. Her entire left side was crushed. She died almost instantly. Everyone else was fine, just scarred from seeing their friend die. She was the only one who even got hurt, Ally. Why did she have to die?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into a tight embrace. Tears were spilling down his face, and he didn't seem to care. Even I was crying.

"I am so sorry, Austin. I had no idea." I whispered.

"She was only eight…I was twelve. We stayed for a while, but we couldn't stand the pity and the sad looks everyone gave us. So we moved to Miami. And I started at Miami High, only a week after I should have. And then, a week later, someone was talking about their sister being 'such a slut, dude', and I flipped. I threw the table and punched the guy. Then-"

"Then you told the teacher to fuck off, ran out and left the school. They suspended you, almost expelled you, but decided to give you a second chance. But you gained a reputation as the resident bad boy. And you didn't disappoint." I finished for him, realising he was too choked up to continue. He nodded.

"That was when they started drinking. They couldn't handle the stress of the school calling and me being in trouble and stuff. It's my fault they're like that, Ally." He whispered. I shook my head earnestly.

"No, it's not. It's their fault. They're the parents in this relationship, Austin. They should have been strong, been there for you." I said.

"But they were already dealing with the Addison mess." He sobbed, his head on my shoulder, me rubbing his back comfortingly. Oh how the tables have turned.

"Yeah, but they still should have been strong for you. Addison wasn't their only child, and they had to know exactly what you were going through, because they were going through it too." I said softly. I expected him to argue again, but he was crying too much. Heck, even I was crying. I was crying for the eight-year-old girl with an amazing life, who had it all ripped from her before she even hit double figures. I cried for the loving family torn apart by an unnecessary and preventable death. But mostly I cried for Austin. I loved him, and I finally understood what he felt like when he saw me cry. I felt like I just had to stop him crying, had to help make the pain go away. I had to do for him what he did for me last night, and every time I have cried in his arms.

Eventually we fell asleep curled up together on the bed. I dreamt of him. I saw him with his parents, unrecognisable in his dad's case, and a little girl who I assumed to be Addison. They were smiling and laughing. Then it flashed to a scene of Austin and Addison in a bedroom, watching something on a laptop, both singing and dancing along. Then it flashed to a different scene altogether, one of Austin's parents holding each other and crying, Austin sat separate, head in his hands, looking lost. But there were no tears in his eyes.

I gasped as I woke up. Austin looked at me. He'd been playing with my hair while I slept; I couldn't help but find that oddly comforting.

"Are you okay Ally?" he asked.

"Was last night the first time you've cried over Addison?" I asked him. He looked away biting his lip as he nodded. I hugged him.

"Yeah. Well, the first time I have cried properly." He admitted, his voice soft. I sighed.

"You shouldn't have held it in like that, Austin."

"I had to be strong."

"Yeah, but like you said, you've been driving yourself insane." I told him. He sighed, pulling out of the hug and looking at me.

"I know. I guess I just…the longer I held it in, the easier it became. I never realised that I was losing it until last night. I think…you might have saved me, Ally." He whispered. I smiled.

"Good. I'm happy to return the favour."

Then we kissed, and I realised that no matter what, this was where I wanted to be. Austin and I had healed each other, saved each other.

…

"Austiiin!" we broke apart a while later at the sound of his mother's voice from the doorway to his bedroom. We hadn't been doing anything more than making out, fully clothed, but as we sprang apart it still felt like she had caught us doing something intimate.

"Mom! What are you doing?" he groaned at her. I sat up, playing with a thread from my skirt nervously.

"I waaanted to assssk you if you drank myyy vodka…" she slurred, stumbling into the room. He sighed.

"No, mom, you drank it. You're just so out of it that you don't remember what you drink anymore." He muttered, and she rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"You'rrrre just jealous. We all know that if youuu didn't haaave schooool you would be juuust like meee." She said, pointing a shaky finger at him. I saw the pain in his eyes as he shook his head in denial.

"No, mom, I wouldn't. Go away." He said harshly. She just shook her head condescendingly and walked out. I shot him an apologetic glance.

"Wow." I sighed. He looked at me for a second, and then laughed, shaking his head.

"I think we both need to get away from our families for a while." He sighed. I smiled, nodding.

"Well, what's left of them." I agreed, staring into space wistfully. He looked at me, smiling.

"You know, maybe we could…" he said. I laughed.

"Oh yeah? Where would we go? How would we get there? Where would we stay?" I asked him. He rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me down so I was lying on top of him, facing the ceiling.

"Don't ruin this with all your smart ass questions. Just think; we could. We could just drive off somewhere and stay away for a while." He said, and I could tell he actually wanted to.

"I'd love to, Austin, but what about school?" I asked him.

"Do you really care about school right now?" he asked, eyebrows raised. Now, a few months ago, the answer to this would have been yes, no question. But now…I found that the thought of graduating high school and going to college, and university, seemed like something someone else should be thinking about. I had never really wanted to, but only recently had I realised how much I didn't want to.

"I guess…no, I don't. I mean, I've always felt like I had to do my best, get into a good college. But, somehow, I don't see myself going to college. I've never given real thought to what I want to do…but now I know I don't want to stay in school." I decided. I breathed a sigh of relief; I had finally made a big decision in my life. A decision to not go to college.

"Wow, Ally. I wasn't expecting you to say that…I was only joking when I asked you that. I thought school was everything to you?" he questioned me.

"It always was. I always used to feel like I had to be great in school, to make up for not having a mom and for being a social outcast. If I was clever, at least I had something going for me. That and I was always in competition with you." I shrugged. He laughed.

"You considered me your competition?" he asked, disbelieving. I frowned.

"Of course. You've always been better than me without even trying. That was one of the main reasons I hated you." I said. He chuckled.

"I always felt in competition with you."

"But you always did better than me…"

"Not academically. That was the one area I wasn't in competition with you. No offence, Ally. No, I mean everywhere else. You were never afraid of what people thought of you. I mean, you wanted to fit in, but you were always yourself. And you had nothing to be ashamed of." He shrugged. I laughed.

"Trish was my only friend in the world, Austin. And the reason I was always myself is because I know that even if I pretended to be someone else, people wouldn't like me." I shrugged. He scoffed.

"Ally, do you realise that you are one of the most popular unpopular people in the school?" he asked me. I looked at him, frowning in confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Everyone knows who you are, Ally. And everyone likes you. All the guys think you're hot, but out of their league. And most of the girls are jealous of you. I say most, because Tilly Thomson and her crew seem to hate you for some unknown reason." He explained. I was shell-shocked.

"Are you serious?" I asked. He nodded.

"Deadly." He said, and I winced. He frowned, face-punching himself.

"Sorry, stupid word choice." He apologised. I smiled, shrugging.

"I'm okay. I mean, I know she was my mother and I loved her, but I can't change the fact that I only knew her for a couple months, and I can't let her death ruin my life. I have cried, and I will cry again, but I need to get on with life." He started playing with my hair and rubbing circles on my waist with his thumb.

"You're so amazing, Ally." He whispered huskily. I smiled, wriggling myself around so I could kiss him. His one hand gripped my hair, the other my waist, as he pulled our bodies tighter together. I groaned and bit his lip, and he rolled us over so he was on top, his legs either side of me. I moaned as he started kissing along my jawline and neck, then manoeuvred my head to whisper in his ear;

"You're pretty damn amazing yourself."

He grinned, kissing my lips again. I felt his hand move to my thigh, and slowly make its way up under my skirt. I shivered, momentarily panicking when I couldn't remember what panties I was wearing. Then I felt his fingers brush the fabric of my panties, and I didn't care anymore. I moved my own hands to the hem of his shirt and tried to pull it over his head. Unfortunately, it got stuck, and he had to sit up to pull it off. Then he lost his balance and tumbled off the bed, pulling me with him. I laughed as I landed on top of him, even more when he started wriggling in a vain attempt to detangle himself from his shirt. I got to my feet and helped him get up. He finally managed to get his shirt off, and looked disappointed to see me sat watching him.

"Did that ruin the mood?" he asked. I smiled and nodded apologetically.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Look, I know…I know you aren't a virgin. So, I guess sex might not be that big a deal for you. And same for me. But…I love you, Ally. And I want our first time together to be special. Which means not in my house, with my drunken parents ready to walk in any minute. I want to make it really special…and I don't want to rush it. I know there's been…tension since the first time you stayed here. But we've only admitted we're in love yesterday, and it's so soon after your mom died…I want it to feel right. So I want to wait. I know how much you regret having sex with Dallas, and I don't want you to regret your first time with me." He explained. I grinned, unable to contain my happiness.

"I love you so much right now, Austin fucking Moon." I whispered, pulling his head down to mine for another kiss. He smiled and pulled away.

"Don't tempt me, Ally fucking Dawson. I might not be able to restrain myself if you keep doing that…" he joked. I laughed.

"So I can't even kiss you now?" I asked, pouting.

"Well, yeah, but you have to stop being so sexy."

"I'm afraid I just can't help that; it's natural." I shrugged. He smiled.

"But seriously, Ally. I hate that I can't be your first. But I swear, I will be your last. And definitely your best." I said, looking her in the eye. I couldn't resist adding the little arrogant part; it wouldn't be me if I didn't.

"I hate that you can't be my first either. Just think of it this way; I'll remember my time with Dallas as painful and scary. With you it won't hurt; it'll be amazing. And I won't be scared."

"Why won't you be scared?"

"Partly because I know what to expect now. But mostly because I love you a whole lot more than I ever loved Dallas. In fact, I don't think I loved him at all. I think I just thought I loved him, because he was the first person who ever took an interest in me that way."

"Good. Well, I can promise you one thing…" he said, smiling suggestively.

"What?"

"It's going to be a whole lot better than it was with him." He said. I laughed.

"Well, you probably do have a lot more experience…" he frowned.

"Does that upset you?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Well, in an ideal world you wouldn't have been quite such a man-whore…but no, it doesn't, not really. As long as I'm your only girl from now on…" I said, smirking as I pushed him backwards. He stumbled and sat down on the bed, placing his hands on my waist as I straddled him and bent down to kiss him. His hands slid almost straight away under my shirt and up my back. I pulled away, eyebrows raised.

"So, you want to wait, and then you try to take my bra off?" I asked him. He blushed, smiling sheepishly.

"I wasn't exactly trying to take your bra off…" he protested. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh yeah? Then what were you trying to do?"

"This." He smirked evilly, grabbing the strap and puling it back. I gasped, trying to wriggle away, but I was too late and he let go. I jumped at the impact, making him double over with laughter. I glared at him for a second, before rolling my eyes and joining in with his laughter.

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	13. Ally Won't Let Austin Shower With Her

**Hi guys! Sorry about this chapter, its really short and I'm not really sure why, I think i just...lost focus. I will update the next chapter soon, though, so please don't be angry... :)**

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Chapter 13

When we eventually managed to stop laughing I got up and grabbed some clothes.

"Erm, Austin, do you mind if I get a shower?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"Depends…can I join you?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Only if you want me to poke your eyes out." I threatened him, smiling innocently. He frowned.

"Straight down the hall, third door on the left." He sighed reluctantly, passing me a towel from a drawer on his dresser. I smiled, leaning forward to whisper in his ear.

"Maybe one day, baby." I said, a little out-of-character for me, but it was worth it to see the look on his face.

"Al-ly…" he groaned. I just chuckled and rolled my eyes, swinging my hips a little exaggeratedly as I walked out of his room and went into the bathroom. I locked the door, but the lock looked a little insecure so I moved a laundry basket in front of it. Then I stripped off my clothes and climbed into the shower. The whole bathroom was surprisingly clean, although I was willing to bet that it was Austin who kept it that way. I turned the heat up until it was practically burning my skin, the way I always have my showers, and used the shampoo that was there. I assumed it was Austin's moms, and I figured she wouldn't notice me using a little.

When I got out I dried off with the towel and got dressed, tying my hair back to keep it from making the back of my shirt damp. Then I moved the laundry basket back and went back into Austin's room. I froze in the doorway when I saw that he was changing. He was wearing nothing but boxers with smiley faces on them. I felt my face burn bright red but couldn't help laughing at the childish underwear. He smirked when he turned and noticed me looking, and although I had seen it before I couldn't help but feel turned on by his toned abs and obvious six-pack. He grinned, holding out his arms and doing a little twirl, making me laugh harder.

"Like what you see?" he asked. I grinned, licking my lips.

"Looks delicious." I said seductively, making him groan.

"God, Ally, you used to be so shy! Why do you have to be all sexy and seductive now?"

"Oh, I've always been sexy and seductive…you just never noticed before." I shrugged. He smiled, shaking his head.

"Oh, trust me, I noticed. But now you're doing it on purpose, just to torture me." He said, laughing. I grinned.

"Well, I won't deny that…but I need to ask you a question. Seriously, like." I said, walking over and sitting on the bed. He sat next to me, and my breathing sped up a little as I noticed that he was still dressed in only boxers. I shook my head to clear my mind and began.

"Well, I haven't really been in school much recently, but when I start going back properly…will you be ashamed of me? Because when I was there, you mostly seemed to avoid me. While I was going through this whole thing with my mom, I mean. Other than the day when I had that fight with Trish, you never really spoke to me. I wondered if that was just because, or if it's because you didn't want people to know we were friends. Or, as we are now, more than friends…" I babbled. Austin smiled, shaking his head as I trailed off.

"Ally, I would never be ashamed of you. Remember what I said about everyone liking you? It's not like people will judge…well, they will, but hey. Maybe this will help me to get rid of my bad boy reputation. You know I haven't smoked once since you stayed here the first time?" I was shocked.

"Really? But you almost did when you picked me up…"

"Yeah, but that was just because I was so stressed out, and it really hurt to see you like that." He shrugged. I smiled, reaching over to hug him. I felt tingles run through me at the warmth from his almost-naked body next to mine and shivered. He hugged me harder and I gasped, pulling my body over to sit on his lap and kiss him. I ran my hands up and down his bare chest, revelling in the solidness and the shape of his defined abs. He groaned, grabbing my hands in his own and holding them still, attacking my lips with a newfound passion that felt new. I gasped when he bit my lip forcefully and suddenly his tongue was in my mouth, and although we had kissed like this before it just felt different…in a really, really good way.

I suddenly felt like my clothes were just a barrier keeping me from Austin, and I wanted them off. I think he felt the same, because the next thing I knew he had pulled my shirt over my head and rolled us over so he was on top. I sighed as he pulled away from my mouth to trail kisses down my neck, and then my chest, and then down my stomach. I gasped as I felt him nip at the bare skin. And then, all of a sudden, he was gone. I sat up, trying to catch my breath, and looked to see him lying on his back, hands over his face.

"Sorry, Ally. I got carried away. And I just told you I wanted to wait yesterday…you must be so confused." He said, and I could tell he was angry at himself.

"It's okay, Austin. I'm not confused. Actually, I'm less confused that I was before. I know I want you, and you want me. So bad. I was kind of a little worried that maybe you wanted to wait because, well, maybe you didn't want me in that way." I admitted, ashamed to be telling him. He moved his hands away from his face and looked at me like I was stupid.

"Are you being serious? Ally, I want you more than I have ever, ever, wanted anyone in my life. It actually scares me. I love you, Ally. The only, and I mean only, reason I wanted to wait was because I think it will be better if we wait. Sometimes it physically hurts how much I want you, though." He whispered, and I felt myself tear up at his honesty. I smiled and kissed him softly.

"I want you that much too." I said. He grinned, then stood up and shook his head.

"Okay, we need to get dressed, before we get carried away again." He said sternly. I smiled and picked up my shirt, pulling it back over my head and straightening my outfit out.

"So, what do you wanna do?" I asked him, playing with a loose thread on my jeans. He shrugged, pulling on a pair of ripped jeans and a red and black stripy top that I love. I love it more when he's not wearing it, but that has less to do with the shirt and more to do with Austin.

"Well, I've decided that we are going back to school next Monday. Both of us." He said decidedly. I almost shook my head, but decided that I needed to get some sort of normalcy back into my life. That and I really didn't want the police knocking on my dad's door asking about me. That reminded me; I needed to go talk to my dad at some point.

"Okay, but we still have a few days, so what shall we do?" I asked him.

"Well, you need to try talk to your dad at some point. But I think you should give him a day or two to cool off before you do. So, how about we just spend the next few days chilling, having fun, trying to take our minds off everything?" he suggested. I grinned and nodded. That sounded amazing.

…

We spent the next few days running around town, hanging on the beach, at the mall, the movies and the park. We watched a horror, which I found boring and ridiculous, but Austin enjoyed. Then we saw a chick flick that I chose, and even though he pretended to fall asleep halfway through, I'm pretty sure Austin loved it.

Eventually Sunday came around and I couldn't put it off any longer; I had to go see my dad.

"Hang on a second!" I heard him call from inside the house when I knocked. Austin was waiting down the road a little. I had a feeling he would only make matters worse between my dad and I if he was there. I tapped my foot nervously, having second thoughts. I half-considered running away before he opened the door, but then he already had and it was too late. We both froze for a second, staring at each other, and I realised this was a big moment. Either he was going to hug me and tell me he was sorry, that he missed me, or he would slam the door in my face.

He chose the latter, causing me to burst into tears. I slumped against the door, head in hands, crying my eyes out. First my mom, now my dad. Could things get any worse? I jumped and squealed a little as the door opened again behind me, and I stood up quickly.

"I'm sorry Ally." He whispered before hugging me and kissing the top of my head. I hugged him back, relieved.

"I missed you dad. I thought you hated me." I sobbed into his shirt. He scoffed.

"I could never hate you, Ally." He whispered.

"Then why…why did you react so badly?" I asked him.

"Because you look so much like your mother, partly. It hurt me to see you, that's the main reason I wanted you to leave the hospital. And then seeing you with him, it made me realise that you were growing up, and that you would be leaving me soon…and that hurt so much, I guess I just got too angry and couldn't hold it in anymore. You get your temper from me, Ally. I've just gotten really good at hiding it over the years." He explained. I smiled through the tears, now happy tears, still streaming down my face.

"Thank you dad. But I promise, I would never leave you. I mean, I'll be going to college. I think. And then I'll have to move out some day. But I promise, no matter what, I will always come back to you. You're my daddy." I assured him. He nodded.

"So, do you want to come back home? Or are you having fun living with your boyfriend?" he asked me, raising his eyebrows. I blushed, looking away, embarrassed.

"Shut up, dad. Yeah, I want to come home." I said honestly. Living with Austin was fun and all, but sometimes it was a little _too _fun. And I really did want to make our first time special, so I figured it best to move back home as soon as possible.

"Well, I'm finally going back to school tomorrow, so I have all day today to move back in…not that it'll take long. I only took one suitcase." I said, shrugging as I wiped my eyes. He smiled at me, pride written across his face.

"You know, Ally, you are turning out to be one beautiful girl." He whispered, and I smiled.

"Of course I am. You're my dad, aren't you?" I asked. He rolled his eyes.

"Okay, kiss-up, go and get your stuff." He said sternly, but I saw the laughter in his eyes. I kissed him on the cheek one last time before running off down the driveway, waving over my shoulder.

"Be back soon!" I shouted.

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	14. No Idea What She Was Missing

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Chapter 14

As soon as I got back to the car, Austin was opening the door and looking at me expectantly. I just looked at him, tears of joy in my eyes, and nodded, before grinning hugely and throwing my arms around him. He hugged me back, laughing.

"See, I told you he would never hate you!" he said, making me giggle.

"I know. Thanks, Austin. You're the best. Can we please go back to your place to get my stuff?" I asked him. He nodded, smiling as he got back into the driver's seat and started the car, driving off before I had eve shut the door. I smiled, rolling my eyes at his obvious enthusiasm.

"So, what happened?" he asked, and I grinned as I explained what my dad had said and done. He smiled along with me, and listened to every word. And considering how much I babble on, that is no easy feat.

"Well, sounds like you're going to be okay. I knew he would get over it in time; he just lost his wife, he isn't going to want to lose his daughter too." He said gently. I smiled, nodding in agreement. Mentioning my mom didn't tear me apart inside like I thought it might, but it still hurt pretty badly. He seemed to realise his blunder since he shot me an apologetic glance and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"Austin, my boy! Where you been?" his dad shouted as we walked in. I was surprised to see he was dressed quite presentably, in a white shirt and clean jeans. He didn't look drunk, which was the most shocking thing, and apparently Austin thought so too.

"Dad? Are you…are you drunk?" he asked. His dad smiled proudly and shook his head.

"Nope. Go on upstairs, you're mother isn't either. And she has a guest." He said, with a sparkle in his eye that I hadn't seen before. Austin nodded hesitantly and walked across the room. I followed him, smiling shyly at his dad who smiled back kindly. I felt like pinching myself to make sure this wasn't a dream.

When we got upstairs Austin went down the hall a little and into a room I hadn't been in before. His mother was sat on the bed, hair brushed, make-up applied perfectly and wearing a long flowery shirt with a belt and black skinny jeans. She looked less like a mom and more like a model. When we walked in she turned and beamed at us, along with the other woman in the room. I was taken aback by this woman's appearance.

She was beautiful, too, like Austin's mom, and I could see a resemblance that could only be between sisters. Only she was wearing a flowing white dress-shirt, with baggy patterned trousers and brown sandals. She had a headband on and her hair was tied back in a messy bun, strand hanging loose to frame her thin face. She smiled knowingly at us both.

"Austin! It's so good to see you! What's my favourite nephew been up to lately?" she asked, voice low and calm although I could hear an excited undertone. His mom smiled as Austin stood, frozen in shock, and his aunt wrapped him in a bear hug. After a couple seconds he hugged her back, still looking shocked.

"Aunt Bella? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I finally found out where you lived. You know, your mother didn't tell anyone where you were moving to? I've been trying to track you down since you left. I had a terrible feeling that things would go wrong, especially with all the stress from Addison's unfortunate accident. And I was right; when I got here your father was passed out on the couch and for a second I worried your mother was dead. When your father woke he was sober, if a little hungover, and at first he wasn't too happy to see me. Then I made him get a wash and dress himself, which he did. I poured every last trace of alcohol I could find in this hellhole down the kitchen sink, and then I woke your mom up. She had a couple mugs of coffee to wake her up, and then she was positively radiant."

"I have never been so happy to see anyone in my life. I think you saved me, Bella. All of us. I'm so glad you're here." His mom sighed, getting up to walk over and hug Bella. Austin stood there, still frozen in shock, and I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He seemed to snap out of it then, and turned to smile at me warmly, intertwining our fingers. Bella saw this, and beamed.

"How rude of me! Hello, pretty girly, I'm Bella, Austin's aunt. I'm assuming you're his girlfriend?"

"I…erm…yeah." I managed to squeak out. It wasn't that this woman made me nervous, really, just the fact that Austin seemed frozen in complete shock, and I had a feeling there was a reason for that. Austin snapped out of it, though, to put an arm around my shoulders and smile at his aunt charmingly.

"Yeah, Aunt Bella, this is Ally, my girl." He told her. I felt an undeniable heat running through my body when he called me his girl. His aunt smiled fondly.

"It's good to see you've found someone real to be with. I remember those girls you used to see before…horrible, really." She said, shuddering. Austin chuckled.

"I'll admit, a few of them were a little stuck up, but some of them were okay." He protested. She nodded her head sarcastically, if that's eve possible, and looked away.

"Anyway, I have decided that you people are not living this way anymore. Austin, as a seventeen year old boy you need parents that love you, and look after you." She said, looking pointedly at his mother who looked down, ashamed.

"I am sorry, Austin. I let everything go too far, and I hope one day you'll be able to think of me as your mother again." She said softly. I felt like crying; I had been so caught up in losing my mom, I hadn't considered the fact that Austin had lost both his parents in a way, and now I felt guilty for not considering his feelings. I felt Austin tense up, then he pulled away from me and walked over to his mom.

"Mom? I still think of you as my mom. You did some stupid stuff, and so did dad. But you'll always be my mom." He whispered, choked up. She grinned, looking at him finally. He smiled back, genuinely, and then they hugged. I jumped at the sound of a cough from the doorway and whirled around to see his dad in the doorway. Austin looked at him too, and smiled a little.

"I know I'm not your real dad. And I guess I used that fact to justify the way I acted. But your real dad was never there, and I should have taken his place. When your sister died…you needed us. And we let you down. And I will never stop hating myself for that." He said, and even though his voice was gruff and I could tell he was fighting back the emotion, I knew he meant every word and I smiled. Austin smiled too, walking over and hugging him quickly.

"Thank you. It means a lot." He whispered.

A little while later, I was sat on Austin's bed, making sure I had everything I had brought here. Not that I minded leaving a couple of things; it would only make our relationship fee more real. And if Austin's parents managed to stay true to their word now, I would be happy to spend a lot more time here.

I jumped as Austin, who had been downstairs talking things out, burst in and jumped on the bed, wrapping his arms around me from behind. I smiled.

"You seem to be in a good mood." I said, grinning as I felt his lips on my neck. He laughed a little into my skin.

"Aunt Bella is spending the day helping them to clean the house, set it straight. Then she's taking them to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, just so they can get some tips and stuff. And she's staying here for a while, just to make sure they don't stray. After that she's insisting they'll be able to help each other through it. She's moving into an apartment not far from here anyway. I think this is it, Ally. I think they're actually going to get better!" he exclaimed, and I grinned at his enthusiasm. Looks like things are looking up for us both.

I smiled and finished zipping up my bag, groaning as I felt Austin plant a kiss on my neck.

"Austin!"

"Mmm?" he grunted, his lips still against my neck. The sound sent vibrations through my body and I fought back a moan.

"Stop, Austin." I said sternly. He sighed, resting his chin on my shoulder and looking up at me through long lashed. I laughed, pushing him away and getting up.

"Aw, come on Ally, I just wanted a kiss." He pouted. I laughed.

"Maybe later. Now come on, I need to move back home." I sighed, looking towards the doorway and almost jumping out of my skin when I saw Bella stood there, smiling.

"Hey kids." She said, smiling warmly but I couldn't help but detect a hint of warning in her tone. I smiled sheepishly.

"Hi, Bella. How are you?" I asked her.

"Nice try, but you aren't changing the subject. I saw that, Austin Monica Moon. Don't you dare try to take advantage of this young girl. She's worth waiting for." She said, looking at Austin pointedly. He looked down, blushing, and I quickly jumped to his defence.

"Oh, he wasn't…wait, did you say _Monica? _Your middle name is _Monica_?" I asked him incredulously. He glared at his aunt before nodding at me, cheeks even redder. I laughed.

"Aw, Austin Monica Moon. Has a nice ring to it, actually." I giggled. He threw a pillow at me.

"Austin! Don't you dare!" shouted his aunt, mock-angry. I laughed harder, then composed myself.

"But seriously, Bella, Austin would never try to take advantage of me. Actually, he's done the opposite. Countless times." I blabbed, before realising what I had said and mentally face-palming. She winced, shaking her head as if to get rid of the thought.

"A little too much information, there, honey. But okay, as long as he's not trying to push you…and please, be careful. I'm not old enough to be a great Aunt. Hell, I'm not old enough to be an aunt, not to a seventeen year old boy." She tutted. Austin laughed.

"And mom's not old enough to be a mother to a seventeen year old boy. But she is." He said. She nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose. But I'm only twenty-three, Austin. I'm six years older than my nephew. That's a little odd." He chuckled.

"I've heard of worse." He shrugged. She laughed.

"Yeah, well, twenty-three is not old enough to be a 'great' anything." She said sternly. He nodded in agreement.

"Am I the only one who finds this a little awkward?" I asked. Austin and Bella laughed.

"I would have found it awkward a while ago, but trust me, aunt Bella isn't exactly a prude when it comes to talking about sex..." he said, looking a little horrified. I laughed.

"Well, I really need to get home Austin." I said, smiling at Bella apologetically. She smiled understandingly.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later." She said, reaching forward and hugging me tightly. I was surprised for a second, but then I relaxed into her embrace, breathing in her sweet scent of vanilla and something too subtle for me to recognise. She pulled away and looked me up and down.

"Austin really did well with you, you know. You're a real stunner. Don't give up on him, though. There will be times when he makes you want to pull all your hair out and scream, but never give up on him, okay? He's special, that boy. He deserves a girl like you." She said, and I felt myself tear up at the care and love in her voice. I nodded and she hugged me again quickly.

"Okay, come on Ally. Let's get back to your place before your dad gets worried." He said, pecking his aunt on the cheek and dragging me out of the bedroom. I heard her chuckling behind us and I wondered why Austin was suddenly in such a rush. He said a quick 'see you later' to his parents and then we left the house. When we got to his car he followed me around to the passenger side and pushed me up against the door, kissing me hard. I was surprised, but I kissed him back almost straight away, sighing as his hands slid to my waist. He pulled away after a minute and grinned.

"What was that for?" I asked him.

"Don't know. I just really, really wanted to kiss you. And I couldn't while my aunt was in the house." He said, shrugging. I laughed, shaking my head at him as I climbed into the car. He flashed me a cocky smile.

"Don't try to tell me you didn't enjoy it." He said, and I laughed.

"I never said that." I replied. He chuckled, slamming the driver's side door and starting the engine. I slung my bag into the back and leant against the seat.

I put the radio on, but the radio was on advertisements. I rolled my eyes and opened the glove compartment, looking for CD's. My eyebrows shot up and I looked at him as I pulled out a box of condoms. He glanced at them and smiled sheepishly.

"Most guys I know keep emergency supplies in their car." I said. He laughed.

"Well, you never know when you might need a condom." He said logically. I laughed.

"I suppose…although it wouldn't be much help if you got a flat tyre." I pointed out. He grinned and licked his lips.

"Well, if we were stranded on some highway, all alone, unable to go anywhere, nothing to keep us entertained…" he hinted. I slapped his arm playfully.

"Shut up. Sheesh, is that the only thing you ever think about?" I asked him.

"I am a teenage guy, Ally. Besides, before we became friends, I had a need for those." He said. My face fell and I slumped in my seat, hurt.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I wish I didn't have to…I hate doing this to you." I sighed. He glanced at me, joking expression gone.

"No, don't be sorry. I didn't mean it like that, Ally. Trust me, I wouldn't change a thing about our relationship. Honest. And you're not doing anything to me."

"I am. I'm such a tease. I always kiss you like I really mean it, and then we start to undress, and then it sort of…stops. And I feel like I'm leading you on." I said, ashamed of myself. He chuckled.

"Yeah, and who is it that stops you most of the time?" he asked. I smiled. He had a point; it was usually him.

"You,, I guess."

"Exactly. Because I'm not in this for the sex. I mean, we're both nearly eighteen, so it's a big part of the relationship. But that doesn't mean we have to rush into it. And yeah, sometimes it drives me insane to see you and not be able to have you, you now, that way…but I know I will sometime. And I would be willing to wait a hundred years if it would make it any easier or better for you." He shrugged. I smiled, the frowned.

"Thanks, Austin. But, seriously, we don't have to wait a hundred years…right?"

"No, not if you don't want to." He chuckled. I sighed, wiping my forehead exaggeratedly.

"Good. You had me worried then." I laughed.

"Sounds like you're looking forward to this too…" he said. I nodded, surprising him.

"Well, I'm not going to lie. I want to have sex with you, Austin. And honestly, if we already had I wouldn't regret it. But it makes me feel special when you say you don't want to rush me." I smiled.

"Good, because I want to have sex with you too."

"Oh, I know. You've made that pretty obvious." I joked, rolling my eyes. He laughed.

"Yeah, I guess I have."

I finished searching through the compartment, finding four CD's. Taylor Swift Speak Now, a rock group I'd never heard of and two compilation CD's. I slid the Speak Now album into the player and skipped to my favourite track.

_**Now go stand in the corner and think about what you did.**_

I said along to Taylor's voice. I always laugh at that part. Then the melody started, and I bobbed my head along with it. Austin looked at me, one eyebrow raised, but I shut my eyes and ignored him, singing along as loudly as I could.

_**The story starts when it was hot and it was summer and**_

_**I had it all I had him right there where I wanted him**_

_**She came along, got him alone and let's hear the applause**_

_**She took him faster than you could say sabotage**_

_**I never saw it coming, wouldn't have suspected it**_

_**I underestimated just who I was dealing with**_

_**She had to know the pain was beating on me like a drum**_

_**She underestimated just who she was stealing from**_

_**She's not a saint and she's not what you think she's an actress**_

_**She's better known for the things that she does on the mattress**_

_**Soon she's gonna find stealing other peoples toys **_

_**On the playground won't make you many friends**_

_**She should keep in mind she should keep in mind **_

_**There is nothing I do better than revenge**_

_**She looks at life like it's a party and she's on the list**_

_**She looks at me like I'm a trend and she's so over it**_

_**I think her ever-present frown is a little troubling and**_

_**She thinks I'm psyco 'cause I lie to rhyme her name with things**_

_**But sophistication isn't what you wear or who you know**_

_**Or pushing people down to get you where you wanna go**_

_**Oh they didn't teach you that in prep school so it's up to me**_

'_**Cause no amount of vintage dresses give you dignity**_

_**She's not a saint and she's not what you think she's an actress**_

_**She's better known for the things that she does on the mattress**_

_**Soon she's gonna find stealing other peoples toys **_

_**On the playground won't make you many friends**_

_**She should keep in mind she should keep in mind **_

_**There is nothing I do better than revenge**_

_**I'm just another thing for you to roll your eyes at, honey**_

_**You might have him, but haven't you heard?**_

_**I'm just another thing for you to roll your eyes at, honey**_

_**You might have him, but I always get the last word**_

_**She's not a saint, and she's not what you think she's an actress**_

_**She's better known for the things that she does on the mattress**_

_**Soon she's gonna find stealing other people's toys **_

_**On the playground won't make you many friends**_

_**She should keep in mind, she should keep in mind **_

_**There is nothing I do better than revenge, ha**_

_**And do you still feel like you know what you're doing?**_

_**'Cause I don't think you do, oh**_

_**Do you still feel like you know what you're doing?**_

_**I don't think you do, I don't think you do**_

_**Let's hear the applause**_

_**C'mon show me how much better you are**_

_**See you deserve some applause**_

_**'Cause you're so much better**_

_**She took him faster than you can say sabotage**_

I giggled as I finished the song. Austin was looking at me, one eyebrow raised.

"Impressive. I've heard you sing before, but not like that. That was amazing." He said honestly. I smiled.

"Thanks. I guess if it's a song I really love, I just get so into it…I love that song." I sighed. He laughed.

"I hadn't heard it before, but it's one of my new favourites. As long as your singing along, that is." He said softly as he pulled the car into the driveway, I smiled, kissing his cheek gratefully.

I spent so many years hating this boy, but honestly?

I had no idea what I was missing.

**Review? :D**


	15. What Happened to Ally's Face

**Okay, so I know this chapter seems weird at first, but it's not the wrong thing I swear...if yoou just keep reading, you'll get it. I wanted to speed things up a little, so I decided to do this...you'll get what I mean when you read it. **

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews for last chapter! I love you guys! I'm back at school now, so updates will be much less frequent, but you should never have to wait more than a week...if that's not good enough, feel free to stop reading, but my GCSE's are more improtant than FanFiction...and no matter how much I wish I could, I can't get a GCSE in FanFiction :/**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line...enjoy! :D**

Chapter 15

"Ally, come on, eat your breakfast." My dad sighed. I shook my head.

"Not hungry." I mumbled, holding my head.

"You need to eat your breakfast else you'll be tired and hungry all day." He said sternly. I snapped.

"I don't want any fucking breakfast!" I shouted, looking at him for the first time this morning. He gasped, but I assumed it was more because of my face than my choice of language.

"Ally! What happened to you?" he gasped. I looked away again, biting my lip to keep the tears at bay.

"Nothing. I'm fine." I mumbled.

"Don't give me that crap, Ally. You have a black eye! Did you get into a fight?"

"No, of course I didn't get into a fight. You know me, dad." I sighed, pushing my bowl away from me. I suddenly felt sick.

"Then what happened? Don't tell me it was that Austin boy. I swear, if he laid one finger on you I am going to-"

"No! No, dad, it wasn't Austin." I said quietly. He looked like he didn't believe me, but didn't finish his sentence. He didn't need to. I know exactly what he would do to any guy who dared lay a finger on me. Which is why I don't want to tell him what happened…

_*****Flashback*****_

"Come on, Ally. It's just a party. I swear, you'll have fun." Austin said, playing with my hair. We were lying on my bed, me writing in my book while Austin did everything in his power to distract me.

"I'm not sure…I don't dance, and what is there to do at a party like this except dance?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"Mingle? Socialise? Look, Ally, people have been pretty accepting of us as a couple, which is great. But that doesn't mean you're instantly popular. You need to make some more friends, Als." He sighed. I rolled my eyes.

"Because the great Austin Monica Moon can't date a girl with only one friend, right?" I said bitterly. He stopped stroking my hair to place his finger under my chin and move my face so our eyes met.

"I don't care if you have one friend or one hundred friends. I love you. But I know you, and I know you would love to have more friends. I think it's killing you to only have Trish." He muttered. I shook my head, then sighed and hung my head. He was right; I love Trish, but I would love to have more friends.

"Well, I guess it would be nice to have a few more friends…but I still don't know if this party is the best idea. It's one thing making friends with people, it's a whole different thing making friends with drunken people."

"Aw, come on Als! It's actually a lot easier to make friends with someone who's wasted."

"Yeah, but the next day they don't remember even speaking to you." I muttered sourly.

"You watch too much TV. Only really, really drunk people forget everything. It'll be fine. In fact, it's even better for you."

"Why?"

"Because if you get nervous and embarrass yourself, which you do a lot, their memory will be hazy enough that they won't care about it." He joked. I slapped his arm playfully, and he smirked. I frowned, wondering what he was up to, then cried out as I felt him slap my ass. Hard.

"Austin!" I shouted, before collapsing in a fit of giggles. He smirked and tried to kiss me, but I moved my head so he kissed my cheek. He didn't let it deter him, however, and I gasped as he began making his way down my jaw towards my neck. I groaned as I felt him sucking at a sensitive spot, momentarily overcome by the sensation. Then I snapped back to reality and shoved his head away.

"Austin!" I shouted. He looked at me innocently.

"What?"

"You can't give me a hickey! What if my dad saw? He'd go crazy!" I whisper-yelled. He laughed, looking at my neck.

"It may be a little late…" he said. My eyes widened and I got up, running over to the mirror. I groaned at the light-purple coloured mark forming there. I heard Austin chuckle and I glared at him. He got up and came over to me, wrapping his arms around me tightly before whispering in my ear.

"Now I've left my mark. No-one can deny that you're mine." He purred, and I shivered.

"I wasn't denying it in the first place…but seriously, if my dad sees, he's going to kill you." I told him matter-of-factly. He laughed.

"As long as I can die in your arms…" he whispered, trying to reach his head around to kiss me. I laughed and pushed him away again.

"Okay, Justin Bieber, stop being mushy." I joked. His eyes narrowed.

"Don't say his name."

"I'm sorry, but when you start quoting Bieber songs, things will get ugly…" I said. He laughed, pouncing on me. I squealed as we both tumbled to the ground, thankful that I managed to land on him. I wriggled, trying to get away from him, but he was holding me around the stomach tightly. I couldn't get free. Eventually I managed to twist myself around so that we were face-to-face, and one of my legs slid between both of his. I heard him gasp and I smirked, playing innocent.

"What's wrong, Austin? Did I hurt you?" I asked, moving my leg slightly. He groaned, closing his eyes for a second.

"Al-ly." He hissed. I laughed.

"Yeah?" I asked, still feigning innocence.

"Oh you know exactly what you're doing."

"Actually, I don't. Care to tell me?" I asked him, shifting my weight again and making him gasp again. He shut his eyes tightly and started reciting the alphabet under his breath. I'm sorry, but this was just too funny.

"Austin? Hello? What are you doing?" I asked. His grip around me tightened, making me gasp. His eyes opened and he glared at me.

"If I let go, will you get off of me?" he asked.

"Nope." I said, popping the 'p'. He sighed, and I moved my other leg so both mine were between his. He groaned loudly and I giggled.

"Seriously, Austin, what's wrong?" I asked him. He glared at me, faking anger.

"You, Ally Dawson, are a tease." He whispered. I laughed, and then I couldn't take it anymore. I moved my head down and kissed him. I felt him relax and kiss me back, and soon our breathing was sped up and we were gasping for breath.

"You make me feel like I just ran a marathon every time I kiss you." I whispered. He laughed, but it sounded strained.

"And you make me feel like I need to develop much better self-control when you do things like this." He choked out. I laughed, moving my legs again. He groaned loudly and rolled us over, releasing me from his grip to place his hands either side of my head, straddling me. I smiled, my heart speeding up in anticipation. He grinned before kissing me forcefully, hands travelling all over my body, sending thrills racing up and down my spine. He pulled away to continue his earlier ministrations, and this time I didn't stop him. I got a strange thrill from knowing he was marking me, claiming me as his own. I knew I would probably regret it later, but right then I didn't care what he did.

When I felt him tugging on my shirt I let him roll us over, getting to my knees so I could pull it over my head. I was silently thanking the Lord that my dad was out. Then we returned to our earlier position and then his shirt was gone, and his hands were on my zipper. He looked me in the eyes, silently asking my permission. I nodded, knowing that I was ready. This was what I wanted. He smiled, a little nervously, and then moved back to slide my jeans down my legs. I shimmied a little to help him out and suddenly felt self-conscious. I got to my feet, not wanting to go any further while still on the floor, and then I was unbuttoning his jeans.

And then we were on the bed, and I was smiling breathlessly. We were still wearing underwear, but the moment still felt indescribably intimate, and the way he was looking at me, looking at my face and not my body, made me feel like the most special girl on the planet.

He smiled at me and I felt his hands move to the clasp of my bra. I smiled shyly, but nodded. He then froze, disappointment etched into his perfect features.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"I, erm…I don't have…I haven't got a, you know, a condom." He muttered. I smiled, looking over at my dresser. His eyebrows shot up.

"Don't tell me you were expecting this?" he asked me. I smiled, biting my lip.

"Well, I wouldn't say I was _expecting _it, but I wanted to be prepared. Just in case." I said softly. He smiled, reaching over to the drawer and tugging it open.

And that's when it all went wrong. I looked over to make sure he was opening the right drawer, and I found out, the hard way, that he had tugged a little too hard. I cried out in pain as his elbow came into contact with my face, shooting up and holding a hand over the eye. Austin dropped the drawer and sat up, concern and regret marring his expression.

"Oh my God, Ally! Are you okay? I am so sorry, I didn't mean to do that, do you need an ice-pack? Are you bleeding?" he babbled. I felt the tears sliding down my cheek and pulled my hands away slowly. He checked it over quickly, then looked a little relieved. I assumed that meant there was no blood.

"Can you open it?" he asked me slowly. I tried, and managed to, but it hurt like hell. I winced and felt fresh tears well up. He pulled me into his chest and rubbed my back comfortingly.

"I really am sorry, Ally. I didn't mean to." He said, and I could hear how pained he was. I pulled back, wiping my eyes, and smiling wryly at him.

"I know you didn't mean to. You wouldn't do something like that on purpose." I managed to choke out. He sighed, looking guilty but I could tell he was a little relieved to know I wasn't angry at him.

"Okay, well, I'm going to go get you an ice-pack. You stay here, okay?" he said softly. I nodded, trying to control the tears as I watched him leave. I knew he hadn't meant to do it, and I didn't blame him at all. I think I was mostly crying because things had been going so perfectly, and now it was ruined. And it hurt, of course. It hurt a _lot. _I tried to open it again, with a little more success. I managed to keep it open for a few seconds, relieved to see that, though hazy, my vision was intact. Austin was back in record time, a bag of frozen peas in his hand.

I gasped as he gently placed the bag over my eyes, then relaxed as I felt the soothing numbness.

"Is this helping?" Austin asked after about a minute. I nodded, smiling gratefully.

Eventually, the pain in my eye faded to a dull throbbing and I grabbed a pair of pyjamas to put on. Austin helped me slide the shirt over my head, although, as I reminded him, it was my eye that hurt, not my arms. He just chuckled and shrugged.

I slid the shorts on and kissed his cheek. I checked the time and when I saw that it was almost midnight I decided that Austin was staying the night. I locked my bedroom door, since my dad was due home around one in the morning, and I definitely didn't want my dad to find Austin in my bedroom. That is one awkward conversation I desperately want to avoid.

Austin only had with him the clothes he wore here, and since there was no way my dad's clothes would fit him he just slept in what he was wearing. We curled up together under my covers, and I couldn't help but smile at the way our bodies fit together so perfectly.

_*****End Flashback*****_

We woke up this morning to the sound of my dad banging on my bedroom door. I knew he would blow up if he found out that Austin had stayed overnight, so we made a plan. Well, after Austin got over the initial shock of my black eye. I didn't want to look in the mirror but I could imagine how bad it looked.

The first thing I did was cover the hickey Austin left on my neck the night before. It wasn't huge, but it was pretty obvious, and my dad would know exactly what it was if he saw it.

Then I asked my dad if I could borrow his phone charger, so that when he went into his room to find it Austin could run down the stairs and out the door. I went with him, kissing him goodbye and waving at him from the porch. Luckily his car was parked a little way down the street, so my dad wouldn't see him drive away.

Cue the beginning of our awkward conversation.

"So if it wasn't Austin, who was it?" he asked.

"It was, erm…well…"

"That's it. I'm going to kill him." He hissed, grabbing his keys from the bowl and starting out of the kitchen. I grabbed his arm, panicking.

"Seriously dad, it wasn't Austin! At least, it wasn't his fault. It was a total accident, I swear." I conceded, knowing that if I didn't tell him the truth he would assume the worst and Austin would be in some serious shit.

"What happened then?" he asked, face burning with barely-controlled anger. I sighed, sitting down.

"It was an accident. He was…he was opening a drawer and he misjudged it. My face happened to be in the wrong place, and he smacked me with his elbow. He feels terrible and he got me an ice pack-well, a bag of frozen peas- and everything." I explained in a rush. He smiled and shook his head, sighing in relief.

"Good. I'm glad."

"Huh?"

"I mean I'm glad it was an accident, and that he was sorry. I'm not glad you got hurt, of course. What were you two doing though?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, blushing.

"You must have been sat on the floor or lying down or something to get hit by his elbow…you know what? Never mind. Don't tell me. I don't think I want to know." He said, shuddering. I chuckled a little, but couldn't meet his eyes.

"Well, I'm going to be late for school, and I still haven't done my make-up. I'll see you later dad." I muttered, kissing him on the cheek and running upstairs. I used my foundation to cover up the majority of the discolouration, and got creative with my concealer to cover the rest. When I was done I looked a little like an orange, but the bruise was completely hidden.

I walked to school, since I had agreed to meet Austin there. Since Austin and I finally went back to school properly, people had been talking. And I mean a lot. There were rumours flying around everywhere about us. A few people think we had a one night stand, or he got me drunk and took advantage of me and now I'm pregnant. Others think he's just trying to get into my pants, although since Dallas told everyone those lies about summer everyone knows I'm not a virgin. Austin keeps telling me to ignore them, but it's difficult. He doesn't care, because he never cared what people thought of him. And people already thought he was a player and a bad-boy, so this doesn't come as a shock to any of them. But people glare at me, they scoff as I walk past. And the worst thing is when they look at me with pity in their eyes. I hate having people pity me. I know my friends and Austin should be the only ones that matter to me in this, but I can't help but care about what everyone else thinks.

When I walked into school, a lot of people stopped talking. Scratch that, everyone stopped talking. People were staring at me, some looking pitying and some smirking. I was confused; did I have something on my face? Was my skirt tucked into my pants? I walked down the hall, hugging my bag to my chest. I got halfway to my classroom before some idiot decided to break the silence.

"So he finally ditched you, then? Did he give up trying or did you finally put out?" he called. I heard a few chuckles but most people looked apologetic. I hugged my bag closer to my chest and blushed. I kept walking, trying to ignore them, but as I walked, more and more people joined in the laughter. I was looking at the ground so I didn't see Tilly until I walked into her. I stumbled backwards, head snapping up and mouth opening automatically to apologise.

"Watch out, freak. Oh, it's you. And no Austin, I see. So, what, did you finally get a taste of your own medicine?" she sneered. I glared at her.

"I never did anything to Dallas. He screwed me over and dumped me. I don't give a fuck what he says, that is what happened. And Austin hasn't dumped me, we just didn't come to school together today."

"Sure, as if I'm going to believe that." She scoffed. Just then I heard the whispers start again and footsteps approaching from behind. Hoping to God that it was who I thought it was, I turned around, grinning widely when I saw Austin. He grinned back, grabbing me and kissing me quickly, but passionately. Then he looked at Tilly, and then at the crowds of people watching us all.

"What's going on here?" he asked, draping an arm around my shoulders casually. I snuggled into his side automatically, wincing when I realised that it would look like I was showing off to Tilly.

"Wait, you haven't dumped her yet?" Tilly asked. Austin looked confused, shaking his head slowly.

"Why would I have?"

"Well, everyone's expecting it, and when she came into school alone…" she muttered, cheeks flaming.

"Oh my God, why is everyone expecting me to dump Ally? I am not going to dump her! Ever! I love her, for fuck's sake! I am completely, totally, undeniably in love with Ally Dawson! Why is that so hard to believe?" he shouted. I looked him in the eyes, trying to tell him to calm down without speaking, but it didn't help. I could feel him shaking.

"How can you be in love with her! You're Austin Moon! You don't fall in love!" she shouted. I was shocked at her outburst, and apparently so was Austin.

"Tilly, you barely know me. I don't think I've ever even spoken to you properly. Why do you care?" he asked.

"Because I have been trying to get your attention since the beginning of High School, you idiot! And I thought we had something!"

"Why would you think that?"

"Because you took my virginity at that party last year!" she screamed. Everyone froze. The entire hallway was silent. Austin's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"What?" he whisper-shouted.

**Ooooooooooohhhh...review? :P**


	16. I Didn't Even Go To That Party

**Oooohh...thanks for reviewing the last chapter guys! Sorry about the wait, I have had so much homework for teh first couple of weeks and homework has to come first...then I had some seriously bad writers block, so of course that didn't help. But it's the week-end now, so I can finally update!**

**I hope you find it worth the wait! :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :'(**

Chapter 16

I was frozen. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I mean, I knew Austin had had sex before. He made that clear, and even if he hadn't, it's common knowledge. But I guess hearing this just made it sink in a little more. And knowing that he had had sex with _Tilly?_ Wow that hurt. Austin still looked shocked, and he hadn't moved since she said it.

"Austin!" I snapped, waving my hand in front of his face. He snapped out of it and his arm dropped from where it was around my shoulders.

"I, erm…what?"

"Last year, at Justine Millicent's seventeenth birthday party. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't remember. You were wasted, and I was pretty out of it myself. But I remember. I remember you following me upstairs to the bathroom, and then when I walked out you jumped on me. I've liked you since the beginning of high school, and I was too drunk to make any good decisions. As if I was going to say no." she scoffed. I could see the pain and shame in her eyes, and I couldn't help but feel bad for her. I stepped forward, and though she looked a little suspicious, she didn't move back or say anything, so I spoke.

"Look, Tilly, I know how hard it is to lose your virginity and regret it. I know you don't believe me, but I'm telling the truth when I say Dallas was lying. And I know it hurts…but if you're telling the truth, and Austin was drunk, you can't blame him. I'm not saying he wouldn't have taken advantage of you if he was sober, but the point is he was _drunk. _He didn't take advantage of you. And you can't blame him for this. Not any more than you can blame yourself, especially if he was more drunk than you were." I said reasonably. She glared at me, but it didn't reach her eyes. I could tell she knew I was right. Everyone was silent for a second. And then Tilly burst into tears.

She threw herself into me, forcing me to wrap my arms around her. I was so surprised I almost fell over, but Austin's hand on my back helped me regain my balance. I rubbed her back comfortingly, unsure what else to do. People had started to leave, probably disappointed that there wasn't going to be a fight. I was just shocked. Tilly Thomson was crying on my shoulder.

"I know it was stupid. I thought maybe it would mean something…maybe that he actually wanted me. I don't know. I just…that was my first time. I wish it hadn't been so crappy." She sniffed loudly, and I continued to rub her back.

"Look, Tilly, as bad as I feel for you right now, I don't think there's anything more that I can say or do. So why don't you go get yourself cleaned up, Maggie and Lissa will help, and then you can get to class." I said softly. She nodded, pulling away and wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ally. I'm sorry I was so harsh to you. I actually knew Dallas was lying…I know you're not a slut, and I will tell everyone you're not. I just…its always been kind of obvious that Austin liked you. And it hurt to see him look at you the way he did, considering how I felt about him. It was wrong of me to treat you like that, though, and I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?" she asked me. I nodded, smiling softly.

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine. But could you do me one favour?"

"Sure." She said.

"Do something to Dallas. I don't care what, but please get some kind of revenge. He's a twisted, lying bastard."

"I could do that, Ally…" Austin piped up, smiling cheekily. I glared at him.

"You've already broken his nose. I was thinking of something less physical."

"Leave it to me, Ally. There is nothing I do better than revenge." She smiled evilly and turned to walk off. I turned back to Austin, taking his hand and leaning into his side.

"Well, that was interesting." I said. He chuckled.

"Yeah. But, Ally, I need to tell you something. Promise you won't tell Tilly, though." He said. I smiled and nodded.

"What is it?"

"Well…I didn't go to that party last year. I specifically remember telling Justine I would be there, and then realising that it was the anniversary of Addison's death. I couldn't be bothered to track her down again, so I never told her I wouldn't be there. I spent the day in my bedroom, listening to music and trying to avoid my parents. It's kind of a tradition. On the anniversary of Addison's death, every year, I stay in my room all day." He explained. I instantly felt even worse.

"So she had sex with some random guy? She doesn't even know who? Poor Tilly, that's so horrible. I'm glad I can at least say I know who my first was, even if he did just use me for sex."

"Yeah, well, that's why I don't want you to tell her. I don't mind her thinking it was me; I know how much it would hurt for her to find out it was some random guy." He sighed. I smiled, proud of his selflessness.

"Wow, Austin. Who knew you were actually a really sweet guy?" I asked, faking surprise. He hit my arm lightly.

"You did."

"I know. Come on, we're going to be late for class." I said, grabbing his arm and tugging him down the hallway. He was caught by surprise and tripped, stumbling into my back and knocking us both to the ground. I laughed, trying to ignore the warm feeling spreading across my body at the feel of his weight on top of me. We stared at each other for a second, smiling as we tried to get our breath back. Then he leant down, and our lips we so close…

"Excuse me? Am I interrupting something? Shouldn't you two be in class?" Miss Davy, the vice-principal, asked, making us both jump and turn our heads to look at her. She was stood there, arms crossed, glaring at us. Austin groaned and rolled off me, onto his back. I got to my feet and brushed myself off, smiling apologetically at the vice-principal. Austin was still on the floor, although he had managed to get into a sitting position.

"Couldn't you have stopped us, like, a minute later?" Austin asked her. I kicked him, face reddening in embarrassment.

"I could have, but you know the rules about PDA's at this school, Mr Moon. And honestly, Miss Dawson, I am ashamed of you. You, of all people, should know that 'sorry, I was making out with my boyfriend' is no excuse for being late to class." She chided me. I flushed even redder.

"Sorry Miss Davy. It was an accident, we just tripped. And then I guess we got a little distracted. We were on our way to class, though, I swear."

"Well you had better get to class before you miss the whole lesson. But I'm giving you both detention, tonight after school, with Miss Danning." She said sternly. Austin groaned, grabbing my arm to pull himself to his feet and nearly dragging me back down to the floor. I elbowed him to shut him up and smiled again.

"We'll be there. See you, miss." I said, sliding my hand into Austin's and walking quickly down the hall. I turned to look at Austin in time to see him grin cheekily and salute Miss Davy as we walked past. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't resist a chuckle at her bemused expression.

"Why did you stop me, Ally? I could have gotten us out of it. I'm, like, an expert of getting out of detentions." He complained. I laughed.

"Yeah, but we have tutoring tonight anyway, stupid. So we would have to stay anyway. If you failed to get us out of it and accidentally reminded her that we had tutoring, she might have given us detention on another day." I explained. He smirked.

"Look at that. Ally Dawson, being dishonest. I never thought I would see the day." He mused. I slapped his chest.

"I guess you must be rubbing off on me." I muttered.

The first couple of lessons passed quickly. Mr Smith was pretty cool about us being late, and when we told him we had already been given detention he shrugged and told us to just sit down and pay attention. Mr Smith is cool like that. He knows that Austin and I are way ahead of everyone else in the class academically, so he doesn't care if either of us is late or slacks off in the lesson. Booth of which we did, although I did answer all the questions, unlike Austin. Despite having changed in many, many ways, he still didn't bother with schoolwork. Well, I had convinced him to do enough work to pass his classes, which he was doing, but today was just revision, so he didn't care.

I had half managed to forget about my eye, only reminded by the constant aching sensation. But then came lunch, and Austin and I decided to eat outside. It wasn't very warm, but we had jackets on and eating outside meant avoiding the stares and whispers from everyone in the cafeteria. We were sat facing each other under a big tree when the rain started.

At first it was barely noticeable, but then it got harder until it was coming down in sheets. We got up and ran from the cover of the tree, across the field and into the school. Once inside we both started laughing, but then Austin took one look at me and stopped.

"Shit, Ally, your eye. It's gotten way worse!" he exclaimed. I groaned.

"Oh God, Austin, I forgot to bring my make-up! I can't redo it!" I groaned.

"And?"

"If everyone sees me with a black eye, what are they going to think?" I hissed. His eyes widened and he shook his head.

"Oh, shit, they're gonna think I hit you. Fuck, Ally; I don't want people to think I hit you. Well, I know I did, but this looks really bad."

"Technically you didn't hit me; you elbowed me." I pointed out. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. It still looks bad. Does it still hurt? I can go get you an ice pack from the nurse if you want." He offered. I nodded.

"I've been ignoring it all day but honestly? An ice-pack would be amazing." I sighed. He laughed and threw his arm around my shoulder. We walked to the nurse's office quickly, careful to avoid any attention. I walked with my head down just in case, and when we finally got there we both sighed in relief. We had to wait for a couple of minutes for the nurse to get to us, and I used that time to check that the hickey on my neck was still covered. I thanked the Lord that it was. Unlike the black eye, nobody would believe that was an accident.

"Hello kids, how can I-whoa! What happened here?" the nurse stopped her automated greeting when she caught sight of my eye. She looked from me to Austin, looking suspicious.

"It was an accident, Nurse Green. Honestly, it was. He accidentally elbowed me last night, and we iced it, but over the day the pain has gotten worse." I informed her. She nodded, looking a little relieved but I could tell she still had her doubts.

"Well if you come take a seat over here, I'll find you an ice-pack and something for the pain." She said, gesturing to the seats lined up against the wall. I sat down on the end chair while Austin hovered awkwardly next to me. The nurse came back after a minute or two with an ice pack, some pills and a wet cloth. She handed me the cloth.

"Your make-up had gone everywhere. Unless you like looking like an orange zebra, you should probably wipe it off." She said. I smiled sheepishly and started dabbing at my face. After a minute or two Austin sighed dramatically and snatched the cloth from my hand. He then squatted down beside me and finished cleaning my face off. I smiled gratefully, wincing a couple times as he wiped my eye. He frowned apologetically, trying to be as careful as he could. I tried to keep my face straight, focusing on Nurse Green to distract myself. She was smiling a little to herself as she watched us, and I wondered why briefly. Then Austin was finished, and she stepped forward to lay the ice pack against the bruise.

I took the pills gratefully, waiting patiently for them to work their magic. The nurse had to leave us to tend to a freshman who had been kicked in the face during a particularly rough football practice, and she told us to head to our lesson as soon as I felt good enough. I finally decided that the pain had eased enough and we made our way to history. I handed the teacher the note from the nurse and ignored all the inquisitive stares from classmates as we made our way to the back of the room.

The next lesson was much worse. It was one of the few lessons I didn't share with Austin, and although my main tormentor was now neutral, there were still plenty of bitches who were quick to make assumptions about my black eye. They sneered at me as I walked into the room, and I distinctly heard the words 'Austin must have punched her' coming from one pretty brunette girl at the back. I just rolled my eyes and took a seat next to Trish, who's eyes widened.

"Ally, what the fuck? Tell me he didn't punch you!" Trish exclaimed. I shook my head and she relaxed.

"Of course he didn't. It was an accident. He elbowed me." I shrugged.

"Well I want the full story later, once we're away from all these nosy cows." She said, looking pointedly at the girls behind us, who happened to be leaning over their desk to not-so-subtly eavesdrop on our conversation. I laughed.

"Sure. But I have tutoring-slash-detention with Austin after school…" I said apologetically. She shrugged.

"I don't mind, I have something I have to do anyway." She said. I was relieved, but confused at the same time.

"What do you have to do?" I asked her. She squirmed, embarrassed.

"Nothing important…" she said vaguely.

"Fine, if you want to be like that." I huffed, turning away. The teacher was droning on about some kind of civil war, but I wasn't paying attention.

"C'mon, Ally, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just…"

"No, it's fine, don't tell me." I said, smiling. I had been keeping enough secrets from Trish lately, I couldn't be mad at her for keeping secrets from me.

"Are you sure you don't mind? I mean, I'll tell you eventually, but for now…" she said. I smiled.

"It's okay, I promise. Come on; let's try to at least get something done this lesson." I said, opening my note book and beginning to take notes.

…

At the end of the day I said goodbye to Trish and met Austin outside his art classroom. He took my hand and grinned at me, then asked me how my lesson went.

"It was okay, I guess. I never liked history though. It bores me." I shrugged. He chuckled.

"I'd better be careful to never bore you, then. I'd hate for you to stop liking me." He joked. I rolled my eyes.

"Trust me, you could never bore me." I smiled.

When we got to Miss Danning's room I was surprised to find her there, but then I remembered we had been given detention. She frowned at us as we walked in.

"Oh, I forgot you two had tutoring. I'm afraid you'll have to find somewhere else today; apparently some kids were caught messing around in the hallway and I have to hold detention for them." She said, and I could tell she was miffed about having to do detention, so I was apprehensive about telling her we were those kids.

"Erm, Miss Danning…Austin and I are the kids who got detention." I admitted. She frowned in confusion.

"But she said…she said these kids were caught in a public display of affection. That can't be you two…can it?" she asked. I was surprised to hear her ask, but then again, teachers don't really keep track of relationships in the school.

"Yeah, for a while now. We've both been through some things and I guess it's brought us together." I shrugged. She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then broke out into a huge grin.

"Am I right to assume that this 'relationship' began with these tutoring sessions?" she asked. I blushed, glancing at Austin before nodding. She grinned even wider.

"Oh goodie! I love being the reason for two people to fall in love. To think, if I hadn't begged you to tutor Austin here in the first place, you two never would have fallen in love!" she squealed. I laughed, but Austin shook his head.

"That's not strictly true, Miss. You see, I was in love with Ally for a long time before these tutoring sessions." He admitted. I smiled at him, squeezing his hand.

"Oh, well isn't that sweet. You two are just…_awww." _she was smiling fondly, but then her expression changed to disappointment.

"What's wrong Miss?" I asked her.

"I would have expected someone like you to know better than to PDA in the school…" she frowned. I shrugged, blushing again.

"Well, it was more of a misunderstanding…and it won't happen again, I promise." I reassured her. She nodded, her expression softening slightly, and beckoned for us to sit down.

"Well, I suppose you two can just continue with your tutoring as normal. I was planning to sit in on a session at some point anyway. Just do what you usually do." She ordered, and we nodded, turning our seats to face each other and smiling worriedly. Usually we didn't really do anything, just talked and kissed and stuff. But I knew Miss Danning, nice as she was, probably wouldn't be very happy with us if we told her that. So I started asking questions, and Austin answered them accordingly.

"Have you started doing any work in class yet?" I asked him cheerfully. He shrugged.

"Mostly just what you've made me do."

"And in the lessons we don't have together?"

"I did everything she asked us to do in art today." He said, and I beamed proudly.

"What was that?"

"Well, she only asked us to do one thing, which was to finish the work we started last week."

"What work was that?"

"I don't know. I didn't start it last week."

"So how did you finish it?"

"Well, I didn't."

"So you didn't do what she asked you."

"I would have if she asked me to do something I could have done." He shrugged. I groaned, burying my face in my hands.

"Oh God, Austin, why do I even try?" I asked him, exasperated. He grinned cheekily.

"Because you love me."

"Oh, do I?"

"Yup."

"What makes you so sure?"

"You told me."

"When."

"You've told me loads of times. The last time was the other night, when I was bit-" I covered his mouth with my hand, glancing towards Miss Danning who was staring at us with her eyebrows raised. I smiled sheepishly, and then turned to glare at Austin.

"Okay, I love you, I admit it." I said quickly, rolling my eyes at Austin's smirk.

"Okay you two; I think I've seen enough. Ally; keep on trying to crack him. Austin, stop being a dick and do your work." She said, standing up and grabbing her bag. Checking the time, I realised that it had only been half an hour, but I didn't try to tell her. I wanted to get out of there, before my dad started to worry.

"See you Miss." I said, jumping to my feet and slinging my own bag over my shoulder, waiting for Austin to do the same so that we could leave.

**Review? :D**


	17. Sitting Next To Dallas in Class

**SO sorry about the wait, guys! I've just been so busy lately with school and stuff, and I haven't had any time. Sorry!**

**I hope you like this chapter. Only a few left after, i think it's gonna be about 21/22 chapters, so theres still a fair way to go :D **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :'(**

Chapter 17

We were laughing as we left the school building, but Austin soon froze. I looked at him, worried, and followed his gaze to a group of people stood just outside the gates. They seemed vaguely familiar, and after a few seconds I identified them as the group of people Austin had been with that time when he had said I'd be a 40-year-old virgin. They all looked just as scary as they had then, most of them smoking and all of them glaring at the pair of us. Austin took my hand and pulled me closer to him, and I could feel he was shaking a little.

"Hey guys. What's up?" he asked as we approached them, his voice calm and flat.

"We haven't seen you for a while, Moon. We wondered if something has happened to you." A tall, dark haired guy said. I got the feeling that he was the leader. Not just from the way he stood slightly separate from the rest of the group, but from the way they all looked at him when he spoke, and just the way he looked. He looked bulletproof, as though nothing could harm him. And he gave me the heebie-jeebies.

"Nothing's happened to me. I guess I just haven't had time to hang with you." Austin shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, maybe you should start making time." One of the girls said, openly hostile.

"Charlene." The leader-guy said warningly. The girl, Charlene, rolled her eyes but kept her mouth shut, stepping backwards a little.

"Look, nothing against you guys, but I don't…I don't think it's going to work, you know? Things have changed a little, and…"

"We get it, Moon. You've gotten yourself a little girly-friend and now you think you're too good for us. Makes sense. But the thing is, you borrowed a little money from us, remember? And now we want it back." He said. Austin sighed, rubbing his neck. I had come to realise that this was a sign of nervousness with Austin.

"Well, you see, there may be a slight problem with that…" he muttered.

"What kind of problem?"

"I don't have the money right now. But I can get it, if you're willing to wait…"

"And what if we're not willing to wait?"

"Well, erm…"

"That's what I thought. I want the money by Friday, Moon. If not…there are other ways to repay your debt…" he said, eyeing me pointedly. I shivered and Austin gripped me tighter, face suddenly furious.

"You aren't going to touch her. Do whatever you want to me, but if you lay a finger on her, you're dead." He said, and they all looked taken aback. Some of them even looked a little…scared. But after a moment, the leader smirked.

"Well this is…surprising. It looks like little Moon has actually fallen in _love." _He scoffed, and the way he said it made it sound so dirty and vile that I just wanted to throw up.

"Yeah, he has. And he's not going to let you touch his girl. So you can forget that. I'll have your money by Friday." He said, before pulling me past the group and over to his car. He was still shaking as he started the engine, but I knew it was from anger rather than fear.

"Austin…are you okay?" I asked him. I knew it was a stupid thing to ask, but I had no idea what else to say.

"You have to stay away from them, Ally. They're bad people. Really bad people. I have no doubt that he meant it what he said. If I don't pay up…I can't let them touch you." He muttered. I lay a comforting hand on his arm, and he turned to look at me. I could see the apology in his eyes and I smiled.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. So how much money are we talking?" I asked him, not sure I wanted to know the answer.

"Two." He admitted.

"Hundred?"

"Thousand."

"Oh."

"Yeah." He said as we turned the corner. We spent the rest of the drive in silence, only speaking when he pulled into the driveway of my house. I had been thinking hard, and I finally got up the courage to make a suggestion.

"Austin, I know you're going to hate this, but just hear me out, okay?" I asked, waiting for him to nod before continuing.

"Okay, so, I have about ten thousand in a savings account for college. I could loan you the two thousand and then-"

"Nope. No way. I am not borrowing money from you, Ally. Never." He said adamantly. I glared at him.

"You said you would hear me out, remember? So shut up. Anyway, it would just be a loan since I know you won't be able to have the money ready by Friday and then-"

"What makes you so sure?" he asked, a little offended.

"Because you're scared. And I know you, if you knew you would have the money, you wouldn't be scared." I shrugged.

"Oh, okay. Fair enough." he conceded. I was a little surprised that he hadn't denied being scared, but he probably knew it was obvious. Besides, he would never be ashamed to be afraid for me. For himself, maybe, but not for me.

"Well, I could give it to you so you have the money for Friday, and then you could pay it back. That way you're still paying what you owe, but I'll be safe." I said. It was a perfectly reasonable plan, but I wasn't surprised when he shook his head.

"Thank you Ally, I mean it, but I'll figure this out. I don't want to borrow money from you." I glared at him.

"Okay, seriously? You aren't seriously pulling this crap, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, first off, this is me in danger here. Which means you should be willing to do anything to keep me safe. Even if it means sacrificing a little pride. And secondly, if our roles were reversed, what would you do?"

"I'd make you take the money." He sighed, looking a little defeated.

"Exactly. And one word about how 'you're a guy, its different' and I am going to punch you. This happens to be the twenty-first century, and there is no shame in borrowing money from the girl you love. Especially if you are going to pay it back, and it is to save her." I said sternly. He sighed, shoulders sagging in defeat. I knew I had got him.

"Fine. I'll borrow the money. But first thing tomorrow, I'm going to go and get a job and start paying you back." He said. I chuckled.

"I know you will." I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"So…do you want me to come inside?" he asked. I grinned.

"Of course I do." I chuckled. We got out of the car and as soon as I got to the other side of it we were kissing, his arms around my waist tightly. We stumbled towards the house without pulling apart, and when I had to unlock the door Austin proceeded to trail hot kisses down my neck. We practically fell into the house, slamming the door behind us and stopping in the entry hall for a moment to take our jackets off. It was then that we were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Actually, a few someone's. We gasped, jumping apart and whirling around to face the doorway, where my dad was stood next to…Austin's parents. And his Aunt Bella. We both blushed, embarrassed. The adults were staring at us, three of them trying not to laugh. The fourth looked disappointed and a little angry. Of course, that person had to be my dad.

"Well…looks like it's a good job I decided to take the day off, doesn't it?" my dad said sternly.

"Erm…hey, dad." I said lamely, trying to control the raging blush. He rolled his eyes.

"Mom, dad, Bella…what are you guys doing here?" Austin asked.

"Well, we figured you and Ally were pretty serious, so it's about time we meet her parents. Or parent." His mom said. Austin frowned.

"How did you know where she lives?"

"We asked someone…this is a small town, you know. If we hadn't spent most of our time wasted out of our minds, we would probably have already known where the Dawson's lived." His dad shrugged. I smiled. He was sort of right; it isn't actually a very small town, but it is one of those places where almost everyone knows almost everyone.

"Well…how long have you been here?"

"Not long. We were about to go sit down and have a talk while we wait for you to get back. I wasn't expecting you so soon…don't you usually have tutoring or something on a Monday?" my dad asked. I glanced at the clock and realised that even after the whole confrontation thing, we were still home about an hour earlier than we usually are on a Monday.

"Yeah, we cut the tutoring session short today." I shrugged. Austin's parents looked surprised.

"Tutoring? What? How has this happened?" asked Austin's mom. Austin scowled.

"I guess I just got stupid." He shrugged.

"But you used to be so clever…you were always top of your class." His dad added, just as confused as his wife.

"Well, I guess once I lost my sister and my parents, I stopped giving a shit about my education." He shrugged. His parents looked appalled, then guilty.

"I guess we really fucked up. Not just our own lives, but yours too." His mom sighed, and I could see the tears in her eyes. I felt Austin relax and I knew he felt bad for his outburst.

"I'm not gonna lie, you guys did fuck up. But if you promise to get better now…Addison would want to see you get better. I know for a fact that the way you guys have been acting has hurt her, badly. Wherever she is right now, she is hurting. Because of you. But if you get better now, I think she'll finally be at peace." He said softly. I could see his parents both openly crying, along with me, and even my dad had tears in his eyes. Austin's mom stepped forward to pull both me and Austin into a hug.

"I don't know what you did, Ally, but keep doing it. The last time I was sober enough to talk to my son, he was a completely different person. And not a boy I could honestly say I was proud of. You've changed him. And I will be forever grateful to you for it." She said, smiling at me warmly. I saw my dad looking at me, overwhelming pride in his expression. I smiled and nodded at her.

"Ally helped me the way aunt Bella is helping you, and for the same reasons. Ally loved me. She saw through the disguises I put up and helped me to see how much I was screwing up. Aunt Bella is doing the same for you." Austin said. They both nodded.

"Okay, everyone, I think there is a lot we need to discuss, and I don't want my guests to be stood here in the entryway for hours. Let's all go sit down, I'll sort us some drinks." My dad said, glancing at me and then nodding towards the lounge. I nodded, understanding what he was asking, and led them into the lounge to sit down.

…

Five hours later it was beginning to get dark outside, so Bella decided it was time for them all to leave.

"Thank you for the hospitality, Lester, and for the food." She said as she got to her feet. She was referring to the spaghetti and meatballs he had cooked for us all an hour earlier. I was surprised; dad hadn't cooked anything since before he told me about mom. All that drama seemed so far behind us now, it was scary. We had talked about everything, from Addison's death to my mother's, and it honestly felt like my dad and Austin's parents had been friends for years. Austin and I mostly stayed quiet, him playing with my fingers absentmindedly while the adults chatted. Bella only spoke a little, but she seemed perfectly comfortable and, surprisingly, it wasn't awkward at all. I kissed Austin goodbye once we were left alone in the lounge, and he told me he loved me again. I grinned.

"I love you too, Austin Moon." I replied. He grinned and kissed me again.

"I will never, ever get tired of hearing you say that." He murmured against my lips.

"I will never, ever get tired of hearing you say that either." I smiled.

"Come on, you two love birds. Break it up. Austin, we're leaving. Say goodbye to Ally's father." Bella instructed. Austin smiled, kissing me softly one last time before jogging out of the room to where the others were stood. I followed him, smiling when I saw my dad shake his hand and nod approvingly.

My dad and I waved from the patio as they drove off, Austin in his own car and his parents and Aunt Bella in her car, which they had parked a little way down the street.

"Well they seem like really nice people. It's hard to believe that they were drunks…" dad sighed wistfully as he held the door open for me and shut it behind us. I shrugged.

"I don't find it hard to believe, since I saw them like that, but I do find it hard to believe that they have recovered so fast. I mean, I'm glad they have, obviously, but I'm worried. Recovering from an addiction like this, just quitting cold turkey, can be really difficult. Mentally and physically."

"Well they have plenty of support. They have Austin, and you and me, and that Bella woman seems pretty…"

"Scary?"

"Not exactly…more like forceful. Like, she won't take no for an answer. And she seem like the kind of person who will stop at nothing to get what she wants." He said. I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah…they'll be fine. Anyway, I really need to go to bed. I'm tired as hell and we have a biology test tomorrow."

"Goodnight honey. I might not see you tomorrow, but good luck on the biology test." He smiled, kissing me on the cheek and heading into the kitchen. I ran up the stairs and into my bedroom to change into my pyjamas.

…

"Hey Ally! Are you okay?" Trish asked as she jogged over to me. I sighed, shutting my locker with a little more force than needed.

"No, not really. I mean, I decided not to cover the bruise today since most people already saw it yesterday, and now I have everyone staring at me, and the rumours are unbelievable. And I have already had three different teachers come over and ask me if I was okay." I huffed, hugging my books to my chest and trying to resist the urge to punch something.

"Well, you still haven't told me how you got that bruise, but class is about to start. I'll sit with you at lunch and you can explain, okay?" she asked. I nodded and smiled at her, then we hugged goodbye and went our separate ways. Austin was off school today because he was helping his parents with something, so I was going to be alone until last period, which is the only lesson I share with Trish on a Tuesday. I sighed as I walked into my French classroom just as the bell went. I looked around for a seat and felt my insides go cold when I saw there was only one spare. Next to Dallas. I frowned, panicking for a second, before deciding to play it cool. I did not want to let him get to me.

He smirked as I walked over and took the seat next to him.

"Hey ally. Long-time no see. Well, I've seen you. But I haven't spoken to you. How have you been?" he asked, stretching his arms out and casually resting one of them on the back of my seat.

"I've been good…mostly because I haven't been speaking to you. Could you please remove your arm from my seat before I throw up?" I said coolly.

"Ouch. Words like that could really damage a guy, Ally. You should think before you speak." He said, frowning condescendingly. I looked at him and pretended like I was thinking hard.

"I've thought about it, and yeah, I want to say this. I hate you, and I wish you would curl up and die in a hole. I feel physically sick right now, and trust me, if there was any other option, I would _not _be sitting here right now." I muttered lowly. I'm sure he winced and looked honestly hurt for a second, but he must have been faking it.

"You know, Ally, if you had asked the teacher, I'm sure he would have made someone swap seats with you…" he said, smirking. I tried to think of a good comeback, but he had a point. Instead I just scoffed and raised my hand. The teacher was about to start talking, but nodded at me.

"Would it be possible for me to switch seats with somebody? Anybody?"

"Why?" he asked.

"Because Dallas and I…we don't really get on." I muttered. Understatement of the century. The teacher frowned.

"Well, I'm sure you can survive one hour. Right class…" he continued with the lesson. I sighed and sunk back into my seat, resisting the urge to scream as I felt Dallas's arm go around the back of my chair again. I pulled forwards, completely cutting off my air supply but it was worth it to hear the grunt of annoyance as his hand dropped off the back of the chair.

About halfway through the lesson I found myself doodling absentmindedly on my page and humming softly to myself. I was lost in my own little world, daydreaming about me and Austin, when I felt someone's hot breath on my ear. I shivered, and not in a good way, and whipped my head around to find myself practically nose to nose with Dallas. For a second I was frozen, eyes wide, but then he started leaning in, as if he was going to kiss me, and I snapped out of it.

I jumped backwards, squealing as I felt the chair disappear from underneath me and groaning as my butt hit the floor, followed by my head. Everyone was staring at me and some were laughing as I sat up. I looked around dazedly, before my eyes settled on Dallas, who was smiling. I got to my feet, shoved my stuff into my bag, and stomped out.

"Miss Dawson, where do you think you're going?" asked the teacher as I walked past him.

"Bathroom. Girl emergency." I replied, not caring who else heard. Sure, people might take the piss. But I wasn't spending one more second sitting next to Dallas. Not one more second. I don't know what I ever saw in that jerk-face.

To think, at one point, I honestly thought I was in love with him.

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	18. Happy Birthday Ally Dawson

**Oh my...I'm feeling slightly teary right now...:'). Almost finished with this one, people! :O **

**But no worries! If you haven't already, please try to check out my other stories! i have had so much positive feedback from all you dedicated readers, and I feel like the only way to thank you is with more stories/chapters. I have a lot of A&A stories published, one of those a multi-chap, and before the end of October I will definitely have a new multi-chap started...but for now, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :'(**

Chapter 18

By the time Friday rolled around my black eye was barely noticeable. I took the cash out of my bank account a little at a time, to make it seem a little less suspicious, although not much. I mean, for an account that has never been touched before, two thousand is a big withdrawal. Not huge, though. I doubt anyone will be overly suspicious.

Austin wanted me to stay away, let him give them the cash alone, just in case they tried anything. Obviously I refused. As if I would stay out of it like that. Austin walked in front of me, and when we reached the group he grabbed my arm and pushed me even further behind him. I wasn't complaining; they scared me.

"Do you have the money?" the leader guy said. Austin nodded, handing him eh envelope. He snatched it, passing it to a small guy who hadn't been there on Monday. Not that I remember, anyway.

The small guy counted the money, faster than I would have thought possible, and then whispered in the leader guy's ear. The leader-guy frowned, glaring at us.

"You're about five-hundred bucks short." He said lowly.

"What? Since when? There's two-thousand there; I checked!" I protested. Austin glanced at me, a warning look in his eyes.

"I know. That's the problem. You owe us two thousand five hundred." He said. Austin's eyes widened.

"I only borrowed two thousand!"

"I know. Have you forgotten about the interest?"

"Interest? You said no interest! You said I only had to pay back what I borrowed!"

"Yeah…when you were one of us. But you left us, remember. So now you have to pay interest like a normal person." He said coldly. Austin's grip on my wrist tightened.

"You should have told me that. I'll get you the money by tomorrow." He said, stepping backwards as if to leave. Suddenly, two guys were on him. I felt him let go of my wrist as one guy grabbed his left arm, the other his right. Austin struggled but he had no chance.

"Ally, go. Now!" he shouted. I hesitated, not wanting to leave him. And then it was too late anyway. I felt two arms go around my waist and lift me. I screamed, wriggling and kicking and trying to get free, but the arms wouldn't let go. I grabbed at them, trying to pry them off, and realised that it was a girl holding me. Her nails were long and red and she was wearing a pink and black bracelet that said 'Carla'.

I kept struggling until I eventually got put down, underneath an oak tree. We had been just outside the forest, but now we were in it. I looked around desperately, sighing in relief when I saw Austin was there, just out of arms reach. He looked at me, panic in his eyes. I nodded to tell him I was okay, and he visibly relaxed, but still looked tense and nervous. The others had disappeared, so now the only person with us was the girl who had grabbed me, Carla. She glared at us both, standing with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

"Where are the others?" Austin asked her. She barely even glanced at him.

"None of your business." She muttered. I took a deep breath, feeling the usual calm I felt when under pressure settle in.

"She doesn't know. She has no idea where they're going. Or what they're planning. She's just a lackey; she does what they tell her to do. Practically a servant. They tell her that she'll be one of them someday. But she won't. She'll probably be dead before they even consider making her one of them." I said, looking her right in the eyes. She scoffed, but she looked away. I knew I had her.

"You sound like you think you're in one of those stupid fantasy movies. Newsflash; they aren't vampires, sweetie. And I am one of them. I'm not a servant." She said angrily. I laughed.

"Sure you are. Maybe they tell you that. I thought I was one of them too, but obviously not. If I was actually one of them, they wouldn't have let me walk away so easily. You aren't one of them, and you never will be." Austin continued. She was starting to look a little red now, and I could tell she was going to lose it soon.

"I'm not like you. They want me to be one of them. They wouldn't let me walk away; I wouldn't want to walk away! I _am _one of them!" she shouted.

"Then answer me this; what are they planning to do to us?" I asked her. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. I was sure she was going to lose it. Then her expression changed, and she smiled.

"Because they knew you would do something like this. They probably knew you would find a way to get it out of me, so they didn't tell me. Not that I would have told you, anyway." She said, and I groaned inwardly. I knew it was over; she knew what I was trying to do, and she wouldn't fall for it again.

"Come on! Just tell us where we are, at least!" Austin roared, leaping up and grabbing her. I saw her panic for a second, and step backwards, but Austin didn't touch her.

"Wh-what are you gonna do if I don't?" she stuttered.

"I'm not going to hurt you, if that's what you're asking. I don't hit girls. Unless you hurt Ally. If any one of you lays a finger on Ally, I swear…" he trailed off. He didn't need to finish; the look in her eyes told us that she knew exactly how that statement was going to end. Realising how pathetic I was being just sitting there, I got to my feet shakily, jumping out of my skin when I heard a twig snap. I whirled around in the direction of the noise and saw the leader guy with the small guy who counted the money. He was smiling sardonically. I felt my stomach turn; he looked terrifying.

"You swear what? You'll kill us?" he asked, advancing towards us slowly. I stepped back, tripping over a rock and stumbling. Austin caught me, helping me to regain my balance and then grabbing my hand.

"Maybe. But you won't have to find out, because you're not going to hurt her." He said.

"Oh, we are. You failed to deliver us the money you owe. So we get her."

"What would you do with her?" Austin asked.

"I'd do exactly what I've done to the girls before her; tie her up and break as many bones as I possibly can before she passes out. Then I'll wait for her to wake up, and I will undress her, and then I will…well, you know the rest." He said. Taking another step towards us.

"No, you won't. You won't do any of that stuff. You know why?" Austin said, and I could tell by his voice that he was smiling. I looked up at him, confused.

"Why?" he asked, humouring him.

"Because I dialled nine-one-one ten minutes ago. And since I dialled, they have been listening to every word that's been said. And I'm willing to bet there's a cop car on the way right now…" he said. I looked at him, searching his expression for any hint of a bluff, but I got all the proof I needed when, ten seconds later, I heard the sirens. The leader guy's eyes widened and he turned to run, but tripped. He cried out and I heard a sickening crunch as his ankle gave underneath him and he fell to the floor. The small guy who was with hi vanished, but I had a feeling he wasn't much of a threat on his own. I turned to look at Carla, who had gone white as a sheet. She ran over to the leader guy, kneeling down beside him.

"Percy, are you okay? Percy?" she asked, concerned. Austin and I looked at each other, chuckling. I found it hard to believe that I had been so afraid of a guy called Percy.

"At least we know why she's so stubborn about being one of them." Austin said quietly.

"Yeah. She's in love with their 'leader'-Percy." I laughed again. Usually I wouldn't have found it so funny, but with all the shock, and the fear still messing with my mind, I wasn't really thinking straight. I wrapped my arms around Austin and buried my face in his shirt, and soon enough the laughter turned to sobbing, until I was all-out bawling into his shirt.

"Austin?" I eventually managed to choke out.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking down at me and wiping my eyes carefully.

"Please tell me there aren't any other gang's you owe money to." I said. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Nah, just the one." He muttered. I sighed in relief and leant my head against his chest again.

"That has to have been the single most terrifying experience of my life." I whispered.

…

The police found us about ten minutes after Percy fell over. Carla had tried to get him to his feet, but he couldn't stand. So they sat there, talking quietly to each other, and waited for the police. We stood a few metres away from them, and when the police first arrived they didn't even notice us. After a few minutes, one woman saw us and did a double take. She patted her partner on the arm and they walked over to use, tensed ready to defend themselves.

"Are either of you the one that called us?" she asked. Austin nodded, pulling his phone out of his pocket. The phone, somehow, was still in-call. She took it from him gingerly, putting it to her ear for a second before nodding, satisfied. Then she hung up and passed him the phone back.

"Would you like to follow me? We have three cars waiting, since we assumed there were a lot of them."

"There were a lot, but most of them disappeared. I don't think they're dangerous, though. I know some of them; most of them hated it, but were too scared to walk away. I'm not saying they shouldn't be punished, but there's no need for a manhunt." Austin said. I just held onto his arm and refused to make eye contact with anyone. After a few more questions and answers with the police, Austin and I got into a car. The journey to the police station was silent, until the driver turned on the radio. Even then, it just sounded like white noise. I think I was in shock.

…

Everything after that is a bit of a blur. I remember waiting in the police station, on this really uncomfortable chair, holding hands with Austin. Then I remember being sat on Austin's lap, crying again. Then I remember my dad walking in, with Austin's parents and Bella.

After that it's pretty much a big hole in my memory, until I woke up in my bed the next day. I would have put it all down to a dream, but the pain in my legs and on my stomach, where Carla's arms had held me tight enough to bruise, told me that it was real. That and the fact that Austin was lying next to me. In my bed. In my house. With his arms around me. I was so shocked I almost pulled away, but he shifted and his arms tightened around me and the comfort and warmth I felt were too good to ruin. So I just smiled to myself and went back to sleep.

I woke up again a couple of hours later to the feeling of Austin's lips on mine. My eyes slowly opened and met his. He was grinning.

"We're okay." He whispered. I smiled, kissing him quickly one more time.

"Yeah. We're okay." I whispered. He smiled.

"Come on. Let's go find everyone." He said softly, before pulling away from me and climbing out of the bed. I blushed when I saw that he was shirtless. Not because he was shirtless; I've seen that often enough. But because my dad and his parents were in the house, and had probably been in to check on us. When I climbed out of the bed I blushed even more when I saw I was wearing a tank top and pyjama shorts. Austin chuckled at my red face.

"Relax. I think they have more important things to worry about that us sharing a bed…no matter what we're wearing. Or not wearing." He said. I laughed, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the room. I grimaced as he wrapped his arms around my stomach and pulled away gently. He frowned, turning me around so I was facing him. I lifted my top and looked down at my stomach. He froze; there were two huge, dark bruises across my stomach, with a few smaller, yellowy-green ones dotted around. His fingers brushed the marks lightly, and then he leant down the kiss my stomach, right above my navel. Then he smiled.

"There you go. It'll get better soon." He said softly. I grinned and kissed him softly one last time before pulling him downstairs with me.

We found my dad in the lounge, drinking coffee and talking to a police woman. She smile warmly at us as we walked in, and my dad got up, hastily putting his coffee down and running over to pull me into a huge bear hug.

"Oh my God, Ally! I can't believe you! What on earth were you thinking? And you, Austin Moon! How could you pull my daughter into this? I thought you loved her!" he shouted, moving towards Austin threateningly. I pushed him backwards.

"Dad, stop. It's not his fault; he tried to make me stay. Calm down!" I shouted. The police woman was there then, pulling my dad away and telling him to calm down. Eventually she managed to convince him to sit down and drink his coffee, and after a minute or two he looked up at us, guilty.

"I'm sorry, Ally. And I'm sorry to you too, Austin. I know you didn't mean to do this. I don't blame you for this; not completely, anyway. I just got mad, and I lost my temper. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Mr Dawson. You were right, though; I shouldn't have let Ally get involved. It was stupid of me and I put her in danger." He said. I slapped his arm.

"You need to stop blaming yourself, and accept my dad's apology. And dad, you need to stay calm and accept the fact that it happened, and we can't change that. Austin is the one who called the police, and who saved me. And trust me, he wanted me to stay away. We had a real fight about it. But I insisted on coming with. I couldn't just let him do it on his own. Besides, this whole thing only happened in the first place because he was trying to protect me." I explained. That was when the police woman cut in; she wanted to know all the details.

…

After four hours she finally had all the information she needed.

We had told her absolutely everything, from when Austin first met them to exactly what went down last night.

When she finally left she told us there would be a small court case, but since they caught Percy people have been popping up everywhere with accusations. He was almost certainly going to prison for a long, long time, so if we didn't want to go to court we didn't have to. We told her we would think about it, and then she left.

After that we spent another two hours explaining everything to Austin's parents and Bella. Apparently the police woman hadn't wanted too many people in there, in case it affected how we told the story. Don't ask, because I honestly don't understand either.

…

A week later, and it was done. Austin and I decided not to go to court. I knew I wouldn't be any use anyway. I probably wouldn't even be able to speak. And Austin didn't want to go if I wasn't going, so we were sorted. **(A/N; I'm not sure if they would actually have a choice in real life, but this is a FanFiction so just go with it :P) **

And then we were back at school. The local paper had covered it, so everyone knew what had happened. And let's just say, we were the subject of a lot of gossip for a long time. But we were okay with that. Everyone seemed to respect us, in a strange way. Some people would come up and ask us what happened, but most people just smiled sympathetically, or asked us if we were okay and that. We just smiled and go through it.

And then it was the last day of the semester. In some ways it had gone unbelievably fast, in other ways it had gone much, much too slow. And the end of the semester meant one thing to my dad and my boyfriend; my birthday.

School finished on the Thursday, and my birthday was the Saturday. So as you can imagine, I was pretty damn surprised when my dad woke me up at eight o'clock on Friday, singing an off-key version of 'Happy Birthday' and holding a cake with eighteen candles on it. I smiled gratefully, then frowned in confusion.

"Dad, it's not my birthday until tomorrow…" I said. He smiled.

"I know. But your boyfriend has a present for you, and you won't be here tomorrow for me to wake up at eight. So I had to settle for a day early." He shrugged. I smiled.

"What's Austin got me?" I asked excitedly. He tapped his nose.

"That's a surprise. Now come on, open your presents." He said. There were six wrapped presents at the end of my bed, four of them wrapped in the same Christmas wrapping paper my dad used every year. He accidentally bought ten industrial-sized rolls of wrapping paper one Christmas about seven years ago, and was still on the second roll. But the other two were wrapped differently. One was wrapped in a blue and red spotty paper, the other in a sparkly pink one with 'Happy Birthday' printed in neat rows all over it.

"The spotty one is from Bella, the other one from Mike and Mimi." Dad explained. I smiled, grabbing the one from Austin's parents first. I grinned as I tore off the wrapping paper. It was a photo album, a really nice one, and a book. I hadn't heard of the book, but it looked good. There was a card attached too. It read;

_To Ally,_

_Happy Birthday! We haven't known you long, and we're ashamed that the people you first met were not the people we are today. But we have come to think of you as a daughter, and you've changed our son's life. Thank you. We hope you have a wonderful birthday, you truly deserve it after all the crap you've been through recently._

_Love from Mike & Mimi. Xx_

I knew that Mimi had written it from the way the 'I's were dotted with little hearts, but it was obvious that Mike had signed his own name, which made me smile.

I then picked up the present from Bella. It was small and light. This time I opened the card first.

_Allyson! _

_Happy Birthday sweetie! Have a wonderful day! I know what my nephew has planned and trust me, you're going to love it! I wouldn't recommend opening my present in front of your father, though….I won't tell you what it is, but I will tell you that it might make your father angry. _

_Anyway, oh my Gosh! I have to say, you really are like one of the family to me already! I love you like a niece, and I can't wait for you and Austin to get married so that it's official. Not that that's going to happen for a long time to come…still, I call dibs on maid of honour. Just kidding. I know you have friends. :D_

_Again, have a great day. You sure deserve it! _

_Loads of Love, Bella __ xxx_

I grinned, but I was confused. What could she possibly have bought me that I couldn't open in front of my dad. Picking up the package I started carefully tearing one of the corners. I opened it just enough to see what it was, and felt my face heat up. _Condoms. _Austin's aunt bought me _condoms _for my _birthday! _I shoved the package under my pillow, thankful that my dad was too engrossed with reading the book Mike and Mimi had bought me to notice.

"Dad!" I shouted. He looked up, almost dropping the book.

"Sorry, Ally. Got distracted. Where's Bella's present?" he asked.

"Erm, well…she told me to open it later. In the card, I mean." I said, shrugging. He looked suspicious, but then I picked up one of his presents and he forgot about it.

Dad bought me a really cute red camera, which I loved. I had a feeling Mimi had helped him with this one, or he had told Mimi he was getting it, considering she bought me the photo album. Anyway, he also got me a really cute jewellery box, a big make-up case and, my personal favourite, loads of socks. Like, loads of socks. I think there were about thirty pairs in all. Kind of a personal joke; I always lose my socks. So I'm constantly complaining about having no socks, and we're always running around the house searching for a pair of socks that I can wear. Now I would have enough socks to last me a month or so, at least.

"Come on, then. Now you've opened these presents you can go find Austin. I have a feeling you're going to like this present…" he said. I grinned.

"Hang on, let me get showered and dressed." I said. He left then, after kissing me on the cheek quickly. I checked my phone first, to find a text from Trish.

_**I've spoken to Austin, and I know I won't see you on your birthday, and you'll probably be too 'busy' to answer the phone, so happy birthday Ally! I love you! I'll give you your present next time I see you! Have a great day babe! :D xx**_

I smiled, then frowned. This was killing me. Everyone said I was going to love my present, Trish said it would keep me 'busy', whatever that means, and it's going to take the whole day tomorrow…ugh. I hate surprises.

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	19. When Ally Get's Her Birthday Present

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Chapter 19

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Ally…Happy birthday to you!" Austin sang as he approached me, two small envelopes in his hand. I blushed, embarrassed, but hugged him tightly.

"Thanks Austin. So, I heard you've got me a surprise…what the fuck is it? I'm dying here, Austin!" I moaned. He chuckled, holding up the envelopes.

"I believe this is what you're looking for?" he asked me. I grinned and went to grab the envelopes, but he pulled them away.

"Whoa! Just because it's your birthday, doesn't mean you don't have to work for your present…" he said, eyebrows raised. I frowned in confusion for a second, before getting it. I kissed him. I guess I may have been a little overexcited, judging by the way I threw myself at him, sending us both stumbling backwards into my dad's van. He just chuckled and kissed me back, biting my lip temptingly. That was when I decided I knew exactly what I wanted for my birthday.

"Austin?" I whispered in his ear, supressing a groan as he kissed my neck, feeling his hands sliding lower.

"Yeah?"

"I know what I want for my birthday."

"I've already got you a present though…" he groaned. I laughed.

"No, this won't cost you anything extra. And I'm pretty sure you'll like it..." I said.

"What do you want then?" he asked.

"I want you." I whispered, looking at him pointedly. He thought for a second, then he caught on, eyes widening.

"Are you sure?" he asked. I nodded. He grinned.

"Great! Well then, I guess my actual present will come in pretty handy, then, won't it?" he asked.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Why don't you open it and find out…?"

"Right, yeah, sorry…" I said, moving away from him and tearing open the first envelope. It was a card with a cute teddy bear on the front and the words 'I wub you! Happy Burfday!' on the front. I smiled at the cuteness of it. Then I opened it, and I was surprised at the amount of writing.

_**Ally! I love you! Happy Birthday! I'm sure that by the time you open this, I will have already said it a few times, but Happy Birthday anyway!**_

_**I cannot believe you're eighteen! It still feels like yesterday when we first met…I mean, you took an instant disliking to me, but hey, what can I say? I guess I grew on you.**_

_**You are the most amazing girl in the entire world, and I think I have known it ever since the first day I met you, and I can't believe I wasted so much time being obnoxious **_

_**As a little extra birthday present, I've decided to actually do enough work in school to graduate…I really don't want to be stuck in school while you're free to do what you want! **_

_**I love you so much, Ally, and I honestly hope you have an amazing birthday because you totally deserve it. I hope you like the present! :D**_

_**Loads of love, the bestest boyfriend in the whole entire world, Austin Monica Moon **_

"Aww, Austin, you didn't have to sign your whole name!" I laughed. He shrugged.

"It just felt more sincere." He said, shrugging. I laughed, kissing him again. Then I looked down at the other envelope, and I couldn't help it anymore. Inside were…two plane tickets. To New York. For tonight. I think I forgot how to breathe for a second there.

"Oh. My. God. Are you kidding me? Please tell me this isn't a joke?"

"It's not a joke, I swear. I'm taking you for a weekend in New York." He said. I squealed, throwing my arms around his neck and jumping up to wrap my legs around his waist.

"Oh my God! I love you so much! I don't know how I'm ever going to thank you? How did you even afford it?" I babbled, kissing his cheek.

"Well, the police said that since there was no official record of me borrowing money from them in the first place, I could keep the two thousand. And I'm still going to give it back, honest, but I wanted to get you something good for your birthday. So here you go. Oh, and by the way, if we go through with what we were just talking about, that will certainly be 'thanks' enough…" he whispered that last part, making me blush and sending tingles down my body.

"There's no 'if' about it, baby." I whispered huskily. I felt his grip around me tighten and his breathing sped up.

"I love you, Ally." He whispered, and I knew he had nothing else to say to me. I smiled, kissing him properly for a tantalising second, before getting to my feet dizzily.

"I love you too Austin. Now come on, I need to start packing. When do we need to be at the airport?" I asked him.

"Three hours." He said. My eyes widened.

"What? How am I supposed to be ready in three hours? It takes me two hours to get dressed, and I have to pack and say goodbye to everyone and-"

"Calm down, Ally! You'll just have to be quick! Do you want to go to New York or not?" he asked. I sighed.

"Sorry. You're right. I'm going." I told him.

"Wait! Won't you be quicker if you have someone to help you?"

"Well, I suppose you could help me pack…"

"No, I mean I can help you get ready. I can take your clothes off you a whole lot faster than you can…" he said, making me blush. I slapped his arm playfully, rolling my eyes at his typical teenage boy behaviour.

"I'm not in that much of a rush…" I joked. He looked offended.

"Just trying to help." He shrugged. I chuckled.

"Well, I get the feeling that if you do help me get undressed, we could end up taking a lot more time than if you didn't…"

"I promise, no funny business." He offered. I laughed, rolling my eyes, but I realised he was serious.

"What the hell. You've seen me almost-naked before." I shrugged, heading towards the house. After a couple of seconds I heard his footsteps follow after me.

"Are you serious?" he asked, surprised. I laughed.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked. He grinned, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck. He didn't even let go when we walked past my dad, who was glaring daggers at him. I just rolled my eyes at my dad and pulled Austin along as best I could, although there were a couple times I nearly fell over. It's quite difficult to walk upstairs with an over-sized child clinging to your stomach.

When we got to my room he finally let go, and I stumbled over to my dresser to find some comfy clothes. I chose a pair of old, grey Hollister sweats that were still soft as they were when I bought them, and a pink, low-cut tank top that I knew drove Austin wild. He smiled as I held my choice up for inspection, licking his lips.

"Austin, don't be gross." I warned. He put his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"Sorry. I love that outfit, though." He said. I smiled.

"Good." And then I took off my shirt. I heard him gasp and his eyes widened. I chuckled, turning my back on him so I could take off my bra. I wasn't _quite _ready for him to see everything yet. Then I realised I hadn't gotten a new bra ready to put on. It wouldn't be an issue if Austin wasn't stood right o front of my underwear drawer.

"Erm, Austin…"

"Yeah?" he replied, voice low and husky.

"In the drawer behind you there should be some bras…can you pass me one?" I asked.

"Sure." He said, and I heard the sounds of a drawer opening and, about thirty seconds later, it closed. Then I heard his footsteps heading towards me, and felt instantly nervous. My arms automatically moved up to cover my modesty, just on case he tried anything, but all he did was rest a hand on my shoulder and hold out the bra. I took it from me, trying desperately, and failing, to repress a shiver at his light touch. He breathed out and I felt him lean down to kiss the back of my neck gently, then he moved away, trailing his hand down my back before moving it away from me completely. It was another ten seconds at least before I could breathe again. I hurriedly pulled on the bra, which was, of course, the smallest, laciest one I owned, and then turned to face him.

"W-what was that?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"Nothing." He said innocently, but I could see the gleam in his eyes that showed me he knew exactly what he was doing to me.

"Well, you're gonna have to turn around for this one, mister." I said, grabbing a clean pair of panties and looking pointedly at him. He sighed reluctantly but turned around anyway. I changed quickly, not giving him a chance to peek. It seems stupid considering what we were planning for later, but I was still insecure.

When I was done I walked over to my laundry basket and shoved the dirty stuff inside. I turned around to catch Austin staring at me. Somewhere significantly lower than my face…I cleared my throat, and he looked sheepish.

"Eyes up here, mister." I said sternly.

"Yeah yeah," he started, walking over to me and pulling me into his arms, "but you didn't say anything about hands."

I squealed as I felt his hands drift over my butt, jumping a little. I didn't pull away, though. I didn't mind, not really.

"You're such a guy." I scoffed, leaning my head on his chest. He chuckled.

"It would help if you weren't so completely flawless." He muttered, chin resting on top of my head. I smiled.

"I'm not completely flawless, Austin."

"Yeah, you are. To me. You're the perfect girl, Ally. I don't know what I would do without you." He whispered. I smiled.

"And you're the perfect guy. I love you." I said. He smiled, hands moving from my butt to my shoulders.

"I love you too." He replied, before leaning down and kissing me. I smiled into his lips, and then pulled away reluctantly before things got too heated.

"I have to get dressed, Austin. There'll be plenty of time for that once we get to New York…" I said softly. He grinned, watching as I pulled on my clothes and started to pack.

…

At seven o'clock that night, we arrived at the hotel. It was only a three-hour flight, so we weren't too sleepy when we got there. After we had checked in and sorted our stuff, Austin flopped down onto the bed. I would have done so too, but he took up the whole thing.

"Austin, move over." I hissed. He looked up at me, holding out his arms and smiling innocently.

"Come and snuggle with your boyfriend, Ally." He said. I chuckled, then grinned. He looked panicked for a fleeting moment at the mischievous look on my face, but before he had time to react I had launched myself on top of him.

"Oof!" he grunted, arms wrapping around me instinctively. I giggled.

"I'm sorry, did that hurt?"

"A little." He muttered, voice strained. I laughed.

"I'd say I'm sorry but…I'm not sorry." I breathed in his ear. I felt his grip tighten as he pulled me closer, lightly grazing my neck with his lips.

"So…are you hungry?" he asked, warm breath tickling my skin.

"Not really…" I murmured, turning my head to kiss him. He kept his head buried in my neck, occasionally licking and even biting in places, making me moan.

"Are you sure? We could call room service…or we could eat out." He offered, lips moving to nibble at my earlobe. I shivered.

"I'm not hungry, Austin."

"Well, I am."

"Too bad. You can have food later." I muttered impatiently. He chuckled.

"I'm not hungry for _food, _Ally. Do you really think I could think about food with you on top of me like this?" he asked incredulously. I shrugged.

"Well, you are a guy…" I joked. I gasped as he rolled us over, so he was hovering over me, and I could barely breathe. He grinned seductively and started pulling at the hem of my shirt. I happily sat up so he could pull it over my head and toss it to one side, laughing at his eagerness to be rid of the clothes. I was soon to do the same to him, running my hands down his toned stomach reverently…Austin is one sexy guy.

He leant down to kiss me again, and it was all heat. His tongue parted my lips and I smiled at the sensations, reaching for the buttons of his jeans eagerly. He helped me pull them off without taking his lips off mine, but eventually we had to part for air. He used that time to undo my own jeans and toss them over his shoulder, looking down on me like I was the most beautiful girl in the world.

My hands slid up to his shoulders and I pulled him down to kiss me again, and then froze as I felt something, well…_hard, _against my leg. He pulled away, brow creased in worry.

"Are you okay?" he asked me. I gulped and nodded, feeling like a fool. I shouldn't be so nervous. This wasn't even my first time. But there was something about Austin…I didn't want to mess things up and embarrass myself.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I panted, moving to kiss him again. He stopped me, still looking puzzled.

"No, you're not. What's up?" I sighed, knowing nothing else was going to happen until I told the truth.

"I'm just nervous."

"Why?"

"Because…this is our first time. Together, I mean. I don't want to embarrass myself." I muttered. He laughed.

"Come on Ally…you won't embarrass yourself. Besides, I love you no matter what. But we don't have to do this if you're not ready." He said, moving to get off me. I grabbed his arm and pulled him back down to me.

"Of course I'm ready. I've been ready for ages. You know me; I'm always nervous about something or other." I said. He smiled.

"Good. Because I swear, if you'd stopped us then I think I was going to cry." He joked. I laughed, already pulling him down for another kiss.

"I think I would have cried too…" I whispered. He kissed me again, long and hard, until I felt like I was going to explode unless I took a breath. Gasping, I pulled away. He chuckled, and I felt his hands slide under me as he rolled us over again. I wondered why, until I felt his fingers fiddling with the clasp of my bra and I smiled, reaching behind me to help him. Then he froze, looking disappointed.

"Shit…I'm sorry Ally, but we can't…" he muttered. I felt my heart almost stop beating.

"W-why not?" I asked.

"Because…I forgot to bring a condom." He muttered, refusing to meet my eyes. I laughed, shaking my head and climbing off him.

"Where are you going?" he asked me. I practically ran over to my suitcase in my impatience. Well, my impatience was part of the reason. The other part was that I knew if I waited too long, I would chicken out. As it was, I knew I was going to be seriously embarrassed.

I unzipped the case and rooted around for a second before pulling out the little box and tossing it to him over my shoulder. I heard him catch it, and laugh.

"Oh, so you came prepared?" he asked, eyebrows raised. I shrugged.

"Actually, they were a birthday present…remind me to thank Bella." I replied. He went bright red and dropped the box, making a disgusted face.

"My aunt bought you condoms for your birthday? Sheesh, Ally, I can't use these!" he hissed. I laughed, but couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment at that.

"Oh really?" I asked, smirking.

"Yeah, really." I reached behind my back and slowly undid the clasp of my bra, letting it fall down my arms slightly but not show anything. Austin's eyes widened and I heard him gulp.

"Are you sure you can't use those condoms? I mean, we wouldn't want the present o go to waste, now, would we?" I asked innocently, knowing full well what I was doing to him.

"Well, erm, maybe…I guess I could get over it." He said huskily. I smiled, walking slowly back towards the bed.

"Good." I said in his ear as I clambered back onto the bed. He smiled, pulling me into his arms for another kiss, using his free hand to open the box and pull out a little foil package.

After a minute or so my bra came off completely. And, let's just say, we didn't get a lot more talking done that night…

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I woke up in the morning to bright sunlight streaming through a slit in the curtains. I looked around dizzily, still reeling from the amazing dream I had been having. And then I realised I was lying on Austin's chest. Austin's naked chest. And, with a quick peek under the covers, I realised that that wasn't the only thing that was naked. And I realised that it hadn't been a dream. That last night really had been that amazing.

It was so much better than what happened with Dallas. With Dallas, it was a quick, painful experience I can barely even remember. But I knew that I would never forget last night. I loved Austin more than anything, and even though I couldn't give him my virginity, I was willing to give him everything else that I possibly could.

I sighed, and despite the fact that I kinda really needed to pee, I couldn't bring myself to move. Lying here, my head on Austin's chest, his arms around my waist, I couldn't have been happier. But after a few minutes I knew I had two choices; ruin the moment to go to the toilet, or ruin the moment by wetting myself. Honestly, I knew I only had one option. There was no way I was going to wet myself.

I slowly pulled Austin's arms from around my waist and slid out from underneath the blankets. I winced in pain for a second, but it was gone by the time I reached the bathroom. I felt slightly strange, wandering around the hotel room naked, but after last night I couldn't bring myself to be body-conscious around Austin anymore. He'd already seen, and felt, everything.

When I was done I decided to get a shower. I was a little sweaty, for reasons you can probably figure out yourself, and I was just craving a nice, warm shower.

It was while I was screaming out 'My Life Would Suck Without You' by Kelly Clarkson that I felt Austin's arms wrap around my stomach. I squealed, instinctively moving my arms to cover myself, but I relaxed when I felt his soft lips on the back of my neck.

"I'm assuming you were singing about me, right?" he asked. I giggled, shrugging.

"I don't know…would my life suck without you?" I asked him.

"Oh, I think you know it would…" he whispered, turning me around to kiss me properly.

I have to say…that was by far the best shower I have _ever _had.

**Review? **

**Was it too...spicy? It's not exactly 'M' material, but did anyone find it too much? I hope not! :0 Please let me know! **


	20. A Very Happy Ending Indeed

**Last. Chapter. OMG. I actually cannot believe that this story is over! I mean, in a way I am so glad it is, because I can move on and do another multi-chap which I'm pretty excited about...on the other hand, this is like my baby, and I hate to see it go...but it can't go on forever, unfortunately, and I'd rather quit while I'm ahead.**

**Thank you so so so much for all of the reviews and support for this story! You guys are amazing and I love you all! Shoutout to my best FanFiction friend, Wonderstruck-Ambition, because she is amazing and her stories are unbelievably awesome and she is just the coolest peson ever! :D Check out her stories, I promise you wont regret it!**

**Thanks again to everyone who reviewed regularly, you guys are so amazing! And to those who maybe only reviewed once, thank you to you! And also to those who read teh story, who stuck with it, even if you didn't find the time to review, thank you guys too! I love you all!**

**Disclaimer: for the final time for this story, I own NOTHING BUT THE PLOT LINE! :'((((((**

Chapter 20

I'd like to say we spent our time in New York sightseeing, and doing couple-y things like most people do when they go to New York. The truth is, we spent most of the week in the hotel, and I'm sure you can guess what we were doing…

To be fair, we didn't spend the whole week in bed together. We did explore the hotel. It was a really nice one, with a pool and a spa and everything. And we did, at one point, go to the Empire State Building. That is something I'll never forget. We stood at the top and played Titanic, and then Austin pretended to push me off the top and I had a heart attack. I spent the next ten minutes beating Austin to a pulp on the way down the elevator. He made up for it, though.

We went to central park too, but we were too caught up in each other to take much notice of the animals. There were a couple of really cute penguins that swam over and were bumping into the glass while we were looking inside. It was so cute!

We spent most of that day sat on a bench in central park, me on his lap. We made out for a little while, but there were kids about and we didn't want any angry parents tapping us on the shoulder, so we mostly sat and talked. An adorable old couple walked past us and they were smiling, and I distinctly heard the woman say something about 'young love'. It was a really nice day, overall.

Austin bought me a fruity mint swirl ice cream, which was absolutely perfect. I don't know why, but the ice-cream in New York is a whole lot better than the ice-cream in Miami. It might have something to do with the fact that I actually had time to savour it…back home you just have to eat it as fast as you can before it melts all over your hands.

When we got back to the hotel that day, Austin told me to change into something glamorous and meet him in the lobby. I wore a red cocktail dress that came to mid-thigh and had a sparkly pattern down one side. It was one shoulder and it was cold outside, but I didn't have a coat that would go with it, so I borrowed Austin's leather. It was too big for me, but it was soft and warm and smelled like Austin, and when he saw me, judging by the huge grin on his face, he didn't seem to mind.

He led me outside and flagged down a cab, which we hopped into. He rattled off an address to the driver, but I wasn't really paying attention. I was staring at a group of guys walking down the street, smiling and laughing. I think I might have been drooling a little.

"Ally? Ally, what are you staring at?" Austin asked. I finally snapped out of my trance and looked at him excitedly.

"Austin, look at those guys! They look like one direction!" I squealed. He rolled his eyes at my fan girl moment.

"Ally, there are seven guys, and two of them are, like, thirty." He pointed out. I rolled my eyes. Sure there were too many of them, and they did look a little too old, but they were pretty good-looking anyway, and from a distance they could _so _pass as the boy band.

"Oh shut up Austin. Let me have my moment." I muttered, elbowing him in the stomach jokingly.

"As if I'm just going to sit here and watch my girl drool over some forty-year-old idiots." He murmured, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer to him. I sighed and snuggled into his side.

"They weren't forty, Austin. And you have no way of knowing that they're idiots. For all you know they could be very sm-" he cut me off with a kiss, and it would have probably gotten heated if we hadn't been in the back of a cab.

"Will you shut up about the one-direction-look-alikes now?" he asked me quietly. I smiled and nodded. Then I paused, and smirked.

"I will…if you promise to take me to England one day." I said. He groaned, glaring at me. Then he smiled.

"Sure, I promise. Do you know when One Direction are coming over here for their world tour?" he asked cheekily. I smacked his chest playfully.

"Stop being mean. One day I will meet One Direction."

"You can't, Ally."

"Why not?"

"Because I won't let you."

"Aw, is little Austin getting jealous?" I asked.

"Yeah, actually, he is." Austin admitted. I was touched by his honesty. Placing a hand on his cheek, I turned my head to look him in the eye.

"Austin Monica Moon, there is absolutely no reason for you to be jealous of One Direction. I would choose you over any of them any day." I told him truthfully. He smiled.

"Really?"

"Of course, dumbass." I said, smiling as I pecked him quickly on the lips.

"Well, I guess I can't be jealous after you said that, can I?"

"No, you can't. But you still have to take me to England." I told him. He rolled his eyes but nodded.

"I promise, Ally, one day I will take you to England. Hell, I'll take you any place you want to go. As soon as I find a way to make some money." He told me, looking me directly in the eyes. I smiled.

"Thank you Austin. Hey, you could always become a famous singer." I told him. He snorted.

"Sure, and I'll reach a billion hits on MeTube and release an album with Starr Records…keep dreaming, Ally." He sighed. I laughed, grabbing his hands and threading my fingers through his.

"I don't need to dream, Austin. As long as I'm with you, all my dreams have come true. I don't need a boyfriend who's rich and famous. I just need a boyfriend who loves me, and who would do anything for me."

"And who's good in bed…" he added arrogantly. I snorted.

"If that were one of my must-haves, I wouldn't be with you right now…" I joked. He looked offended, but before he had a chance to say anything the cab pulled over and the driver barked at us to get out. Austin quickly handed over his tip and we clambered out of the cab. It pulled away before we had even shut the door. The audacity of cab drivers these days…

"What are you trying to say, Ally? Are you saying I'm not good in bed?" he asked me, wrapping an arm around my waist and leading me down the street. I shrugged.

"Well, you're okay I suppose…" I muttered. He chuckled, leaning in closer to me.

"You weren't saying that last night. In fact, I distinctly remember you saying something about me being 'the best fucking-" I shoved a hand over his mouth, blushing furiously.

"Shut up, Austin! Okay, I'll admit it, you're great in bed." I conceded. He laughed.

"Good. You're not so bad yourself, even if you do hog the covers." He muttered. I laughed, rolling my eyes and swatting him on the back of the head. He rubbed the spot, glaring at me mock-angrily. I just chuckled.

"So where are we going anyway?" I asked him. He looked up and grinned.

"We're here, actually." He said, and I followed his gaze in the direction of a huge, brightly-lit Italian restaurant. It looked gorgeous, and the smell wafting from the open doors made my mouth water.

The place was packed, and I felt my heart sink as we joined the queue, but when we reached the guy stood at the front Austin told him his last name and we were led to a small table at the back. I grinned as we took our seats; we were close enough to the kitchen that we could smell the divine scents wafting from the swinging doors, but far enough that we couldn't hear the hustle-and-bustle from inside.

A waiter came over with a couple of menus and took our drink orders. Another two minutes later, he came back with our drinks and took our food orders. I'm not completely sure what I ordered, since it was all written in Italian, but when it finally reached the table I was relieved to see that I'd gotten spaghetti.

"I am so glad this is spaghetti…I was worried I'd ordered frogs legs or snails or something." I admitted to Austin once the waiter was out of hearing range. He snorted with laughter, choking on the mouthful of pasta he was eating. I passed him his drink and he took a big gulp, managing to get his laughter under control. I crossed my arms and glared at him. If we weren't in a public place, I would have been tapping my foot.

"What on Earth is so funny?" I asked him.

"First of all, the menu is written in English on the back, Ally. And secondly, this is an Italian restaurant…Frog's legs and snails are _French _food." He explained. I blushed, embarrassed.

"Oops?" I said sheepishly. He just burst out laughing again, and after a few seconds I joined in.

We ate in a comfortable silence, and occasionally our eyes met, making us burst out into simultaneous laughing fits. When we were finished we tipped the waiter and left the restaurant.

"So…is there anything else you wanna do before we go back to the hotel?" he asked me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my cheek. I smiled at the perfectness of the moment.

"Not really, no. I'm tired; I'd rather just go back to the hotel." I muttered, and as if on cue I yawned. Austin chuckled.

"You look so cute with your face all scrunched up." He muttered. I blushed a little, but I was getting more used to the random compliments every day. They barely surprised me anymore; of course, I still loved them just as much.

"You look so cute anyway."

"I love you Ally." He sighed. I smiled, leaning back into his warm, strong body.

"I love you too." I whispered.

"Ally, I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to answer it seriously." He said. I frowned, concerned about the tone of his voice.

"Of course. What is it?" I replied. He took a deep breath.

"Do you think we're forever? Do you think we'll ever…fall out of love?"

"Of course I think we're forever. And I know for a fact that I will never ever ever fall out of love with you, Austin. Do you think you'll fall out of love with me?"

"No! Absolutely not! I just meant…are you sure?"

"Austin, I couldn't ever imagine a life without you. I would just curl up and die. I couldn't possibly live without you. It sounds stupid, and melodramatic, but I honestly feel that way." I said, stopping and turning to look him in the eyes. He smiled.

"Good. Because I have an idea…it's a little crazy, but it's you and me, and we're, like, the definition of crazy. So how about we go back to the hotel, pack out bags, then go to bed. And in the morning we can check out, get in the car…and drive to Vegas." He whispered. I froze, shocked.

"I, erm…"

"It's fine if you don't want to, if you're not ready. It's just…if we're gonna be forever, we might as well make it official."

"Yeah. I totally agree. We're going to Vegas. I'm going to Vegas to marry Austin Moon. How surreal does that sound?"

"I don't know about surreal…I was thinking more along the lines of 'perfect'…" he whispered, kissing my cheek. I grinned.

"So do I." I replied.

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Twenty four hours later, I was officially Mrs Ally Moon.

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Twenty four years later, I was still Mrs Ally Moon.

**THE END! **

**OMG! I'm crying! I can't believe it's over! I am so sorry that this chapter is shorter, I just found the perfect place to end it, at least I hope it was the perfect place, and I hope you guys like it!**

**Please review, let me know what you think! And please leave me any prompts you may have for one-shots…I'll write them all, I promise! **

**Thank you so much for sticking with the story, and for all of your reviews…they mean the world to me, and they truly are the reason I keep writing! I love you guys! Thank you!**

**Kacey xx **


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